World nor to have Men miraculously enabled to do it and give proof that it is Divine 3. We hold that God's written Word and Law is perfect in its kind Psal 19. and sufficient to its proper use and end Which Bellarmine Cassinus and the Council of Basil and many School-men in their Prologues on the Sentences confess extendeth to all things commonly necessary to Salvation yea and to be the Divine Rule of Faith 4. Yet we deny not that if God had seen meet to deliver any necessary part of Law or Gospel Faith or Practice as his will by bare word and Memory of Man we had been bound to believe and obey it when we had sound proof that it was indeed from God 5. We hold that for fullest certainty we have possession of the Bible it self and of the Essentials of Christianity brought us by two Means Conjunct that is The Scripture and practical Custom of the Church As the Scripture or written Word shineth to us by its own Light so Tradition tells us which be the Canonical Books and how the Church received them as Divine and that there are no other such And the practice of Baptismal Profession and Covenanting and of the Church Assemblies and reading Scripture and Catechizing and of Eucharistical Communion and Prayer c. tell us what in all Ages hath been taken for true Christianity As we hold a humane Belief needful in Subserviency as a means to Divine Belief so we hold humane Tradition needful to the conveyance of God's Word to us But by your leave we will distinguish the Messenger from the Authour If the King send me a Law or Mandate by a Messenger or by the Penny-Post I will receive and obey it and yet not take the Post or Messenger for King or Legislator or Infallible 6. And the Reformed Catholicks do own all true Tradition but are for a far surer Tradition than the Roman Sect. Our Tradition of Scripture and the great points of Christianity cometh to us by Evidence Infallible that may be called Natural with the greatest advantage of Moral Evidence also and not on the boast and bare word of one proud Sect that pretendeth to Fanatick Inspiration and Authority above all others I call that Natural Evidence which ariseth from such necessary Causes that cannot be otherwise nor can deceive And I call that the best Moral Evidence which cometh from Mens testimony of greatest credit for skill and honesty and we have both these Mans Soul hath some necessary acts that cannot but be and cannot be otherwise Such is sensation of sensible objects duely presented Intellectual perception of things presented according to the evidence in which they appear The Love of our selves and our own known welfare and any thing that is known to be an only and necessary means thereto and hath Omnimodam ratiomem boni The Love of Truth as Truth and Good as Good The hatred of misery c. These all Men have as men and that which dependeth on these dependeth not only on mens honesty And our evidence of Tradition is such as this It is from the Common Consent of all capable Witnesses of various Opinions Passions and Interests Friends and Foes whereas the Tradition of Sectarian Papists dependeth on the Credit of one Sect that falsly pretend a peculiar trust with both Scripture and Tradition tho' against the greater part of Christians And pretend Fanatically that even ignorant Popes and Prelates in Council have a gift of infallible knowledge For Example If there were a doubt raised Whether there be any such City in the World as Rome Paris Vienna or whether there was ever such persons as K. James K. Charles Ludovicus 14 of France c. Or whether the Statutes in our Books were really made by the Kings and Parliaments named in them and be the same unchanged c. There is Natural evidence of all this because it ariseth from necessary acts All sorts of men of contrary interests could never agree to lie and deceive men in such cases no more than they could all agree to kill themselves And if some would be falsifyers the rest would presently detect and shame them If any Lawyers would falsyfie or change the Statutes others would presently manifest the deceit they being commonly known and the cross interests of so many depending on them yea I say not only that this is Natural Infallible Evidence but that it is more than very much other Physical Evidence of many other things because we have better means to know Mans Natural necessary acts than we have to know most other Creatures of God And then for Moral Evidence we have all the Godly's attestation of all Ages and Nations and Sects of Christians and among the rest the Papists also agreeing that This Bible and This Creed and these Essentials of Christianity were all certainly transmitted to us from Christ and his Spirit in his Apostles And what 's the Tradition of the Papal Sect to all this who tell us falsely you cannot know the Scripture to be God's Word but by taking it on the belief of the Pope and Church of Rome as Endowed with the Power of Judgment and the gift of Infallibility Alas what abundance of Impossibilities must be proved true before any Man can by this method believe God's word 1. Before they can believe the Gospel and that Jesus is the true Christ they must believe that he hath a Vicar 2. And a Church 3. And the Pope is this Vicar and his Sect this Church And 4. That he hath the Office Power and Gift of infallible Judging which the Major number of Christians or Churches have not 5. And that Christ not yet believed in gave him power and Infallibility 6. And that he that now Reigneth is the true Pope by due Election Consecration Qualification c. With many more such Impossibilities And what is it to give up the Cause to the Infidels if this be not 7. But we judge that God's Law in Scripture secured from the charge of pretended Rememberers and Vsurpers is so sufficient to its proper use that there needeth no Supplemental Tradition as if it were but half God's Law but only subservient historical Tradition And we challenge the Papists to prove de facto 1. That any such supplemental Tradition is Existent 2. That they possess any other but what the other Churches know 3. That they are more than other Churches authorized to be the Keepers and Judges of that Tradition And 4. We fully prove them Innovators and that Popery is a meer Novelty It is copiously proved by Peter Moulin de novitate Papismi David Blondel de Ecclesia Andrew Rivet Defence of Morney against Coffetean and against Silvester and many others Can they without the most profligate Impudence pretend Apostolical Tradition for denying the Laity the Cup in the Eucharist and for their praying in an unknown Tongue and forbidding the Scripture and deposing Princes and dissolving Oaths of Allegiance and for tormenting and
lead them into all Truth and keep them from doing that Work Erroneously which they were commissioned to do Tho' not to make them absolutely free from Sin or Errour in all other things And therefore the Scripture written by them is free from Errour by Virtue of the special promise and Spirit 3. That all true Christians really regenerate are free from all Errour inconsistent with true saving Faith and Title to Salvation 4. That therefore the Church as it signifieth only the said regenerate true Christians hath no Damning Errour or none but what is pardoned as consistent with saving Faith and Holiness 5. That the Universal Visible Church is the whole Company of men on Earth that profess true saving Faith and are by Covenant Vow Baptized into this Profession And that all this true Visible Church professeth no Errour inconsistent with their Profession of the foresaid saving Faith Because the profession of saving Faith is essential to visible Christianity and to the visible Church For mark that I say not that they profess no Errour inconsistent with sincere Faith in themselves subjectively nor yet that as to objective Faith may not by unseen consequence overthrow it For there is such a concatenation of Divine revealed Truths that it is a doubtful case whether any one Errour which all men have do not by remote Consequence subvert the very Foundations But no true Visible Church or Christian so professeth any one Errour as not to profess the essential points of Faith and Godliness tho' they may think falsely that both are true Therefore Protestants teach that unseen Consequences are not to be so charged on those that see them not and hold fast the injured Truth as if it were a known or direct denyal of the Truth 6. But every Church and every man being imperfect both in knowledge Faith and Holiness have all some Errour For to be objectively de fide is to be of Divine Revelation And all the Scripture is Divine Revelation And if the question be Whether any Pope Council or Church understand all the Scripture without any Errour judge by Commentators and common Experience And now what saith the Deceiver against all this 1. He citeth Isa 59.21 God hath promised to preserve his Word in the Church Ergo the Church cannot Err A forged Consequence no more followeth but that the true Church shall not lose or forsake Gods Word For then it would cease to be the Church But 1. Not that the best Churches understand all that Word without any Errour 2. Nor that any particular Church visible may not apostatize or turn Hereticks or corrupt Gods Word and forbid men to use it in a known Tongue as the Papists do Next he citeth Joh. 14.16 As if all the Church had the same promise of the Spirit of Infallibility as the Apostles had If so then 1. Papists are none of the true Church because they have many Errours 2. And if the major part be the Church rather than a minor Sect then all other Christians that are against Popery are free from Errour for they are twice or thrice as many as the Papists 3. And when the far greater part were Arrians they were free from Errour Yea the Council of Sirmium to which Pope Liberius professed full consent Or did Christ break his promise to all these 4. If the Pope or all his Prelates have as full a promise of the Spirit as the Apostles then they may write us a new Bible and Word of God as they did No wonder then if the Canons and Decretals be as much Gods Word as the Bible But why then do they not confirm their Canons by Miracles as the Apostles did And why did so many Popes contradict each other Had both Stephanus Formosus Nicholas and the foresaid Johns that denyed the Life to come c. the same Gift as the Apostles Surely we may well say to them as St. James Shew me thy Faith by thy Works They did shew it by most odious Simony Gluttony Drunkenness Lying with Maids and Wives even at the Apostolick Doors Murdering Christs Members by Thousands Silencing faithful Preachers Deposing Emperours Commanding Perjury and Rebellion even to Sons against their own Fathers Forbidding all Church Worship of God to whole Kingdoms for many years when a King will not obey the Pope By such Works they shew their Faith O the power of Satan and the horrid pravity of man when such things are not only Justified but trusted to for Justification and made consistent with a Church that never Erred Indeed these Errours crept in by Degrees which maketh it difficult to Expositors of Scripture Prophesie to know just the year when the mischief became so ripe as to prove Rome to be Babylon Apostate to Pagano-Christianity and the Pope to be Antichrist But if I see a man Raging mad in Bedlam I will not make it an Article of my Faith that he is Sanae mentis because I know not just when his amentia deliratio or Melancholly became a Mania or Furor The Deceiver also citeth Mat. 18.17 viz. Because men must hear the Church where a Sinner dwelleth that calleth him to Repentance after due Proof and Admonition therefore the Pope and his Prelates cannot Err. An Argument liker a Derision than a serious Proof Did not the Pope then Err when Bishops and Councils have in vain called him to Repent Doth not the Church Err then most damnably that commandeth Murder Treason and most heynous Sin and is the Leader of the Impenitent Must we take such then as Heathens and Publicans But as the man thinketh so the Bell tinketh Do but Fancy that by the Church is meant only the Pope and his Clergy and that all is such Sin which the Pope calleth so tho' God command us and then all such Texts will seem to them to say what they would have them say The man also citeth Eph. 5.27 viz. Christ will present his Regenerate Church perfect and spotless in Judgment What then Ergo the Visible Church on Earth hath no Errour or Spot And Ergo the Pope and his Clergy are this Visible perfect Church And why not as well Constantinople Alexandria Antioch or Jerusalem the Mother Church Which part is it that is the whole or indefectible What is profaining Gods Word if this be not If any should be forbidden the Scripture it is these prophaning Priests The Eighth accused Point That the Church hath been hidden and Invisible Ans We do not think that the Pope and his Clergy-Church have been hidden and invisible Their Wars even in Italy and Rome for many Ages made them Visible Yea and palpable too The Kings and Emperours that they Fought against or Deposed knew them above 100000 Waldenses and Albigenses felt them to the Death Quae Regio in terris talis non plena laboris Whether this man knew not the Protestants Judgment herein or whether he would not have his Reader know it I cannot tell but I shall tell you what it
sins And St. Paul saith 1 Cor. 11.23 I have received of the Lord that which I delivered to you That the Lord Jesus the Night in which he was betrayed took Bread c. Vers 25. After the same manner also he took the Cup when he had Supped saying This Cup is the New-Testament in my blood This do ye as oft as you drink it in remembrance of me For as often as ye eat this Bread and drink this Cup ye do shew the Lord's Death 'till he come Wherefore whosoever shall eat this Bread and drink this Cup of the Lord unworthily shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that Cup. These words do so plainly say it is bread after the Consecration and do so plainly require all to drink of the Cup as well as to eat of the Bread that the Infallible Clergy are fain to accuse the Light of Darkness the Text of deceitful Obscurity till the Pope and his Prelates have expounded it by giving it the Lye Just like the Knave in Ignoramus's Play that Proclaimed the man to be Mad from whom he intended to extort Money that is for binding and abusing him What is it to proclaim Christ and Paul to be Fools that could not speak Sense if this be not But the Doctors have also contradictions to charge on Christ even that else-where he saith He that eateth his Flesh shall live for ever Ans 1. That is He that trusteth in a Sacrificed Christ as the means of his Salvation as bread is the means of natural Life He that would not understand cannot understand the plainest Words But doth Christ say that any man eateth his flesh that drinketh not his blood Or that he shall have Life that doth the one without the other 2. And seeing they take every Rogue that eateth their Wafer to eat Christs Flesh do they not here falsly say that all such shall have Eternal Life O happy miserable Church that hath Eternal Life how wicked soever for eating the Wafer and calling it Christs Flesh And all this that Faith may not be thought to be meant by eating 3. But seeing it must needs be eating by the Teeth or by Flesh eating that is meant they have found out a crafty literal way Christ saith that he loveth and cherisheth his Church as his own Flesh and we are Members of his body of his flesh and of his bones And so they that Murdered a Million of the Albigenses c. and Massacred 40000 in France and 200000 in Ireland and Burnt them in England Germany the Low Countries and Tormented and Killed them in Bohemia and many other Lands did learn the literal way of eating Christs Flesh And who doubts but the Devil tells them that they shall thereby obtain everlasting Life But why then are they against drinking his blood when actually they draw it out by streams Perhaps by Burning his Bones as they did Buceâ—s Phagius Wickliffes and 1000 more they think that their Teeth scape the trouble of gnawing them and thus they feed on Christs body flesh and bones For their Masters beat Witches if they bring him not account at every Meeting of some mischief that they have done 3. And what but flat opposition to Christ should move these men to forbid one half of his Sacrament which he calls the New-Testament in his blood One would wonder what should be their Motive It is no matter of Pleasure Profit or Honour This very Deceiver had more wit than to pretend Antiquity for it or any one ancient Doctor of the Church They dare not deny save to Ignorants and Fools that it is a Novelty contrary to unquestioned Consent and Practice of all Christs Church for above a thousand years or near at least It is undenyably against Christs Institution and Command against his Apostles Doctrine and Scripture Practice against all the Judgment and Practice of the ancient Church against the Nature and Integrity of the Sacrament against the Concord of the Church that will never Unite against all these against the Sense and Comfort of Believers What then doth over-rule so many men to Tear the Church to Murder so many Bohemians as they did c. for such a thing as this is Reader I will tell thee all that I know The Devil is in constant War against Christ and his Kingdom and the Souls of men As he thought he could have triumphed in making Job curse God to his Face so he would fain shew that he can make Christs own pretended Ministers oppose and despise the plainest of his Commands and defie his Word and him to his Face To this he gets by the baits of Worldly Wealth Honour and Dominion a sort of Fleshly Worldly men to be Bishops whose very hearts are against the Laws of Christ And puffing up these men by degrees he tells them how they must be Great and arrogate Power equal to Christs Apostles and so domineer over the Souls of men and all this on pretence of honouring Christ And having gotten a Generation of gross ignorant debauched Villains into the Papal elevated Seat and the Ruling Church Power when some poor Woman once or twice shed some of the Wine or a Priest chanced to spill it their prophane Holiness decreed that they should drink the Wine no more save the Clergy but should eat Christs Blood which they said was in his Flesh and a while they dipt the Wafer in Wine and then pretended Infallibility being their vain Glory they must not change lest they should seem to be fallible and should Repent for Repenting undoes Satans Kingdom The One and Fortieth accused Point That there is not in the Church a true and proper Sacrifice and that the Mass is not a Sacrifice Ans True and proper if the words are intelligible are put against false and equivocal or figurative And what man can tell us which Sence of the word Sacrifice must be taken for the only proper Sence when with Heathens and Christians the word is used in so many Sences and there are so many sorts of Sacrifices This man would not tell you whether it be the Thing or the Name that he controverteth that would be to come into the Light If it be the thing we never doubted but divers things are and must be in the Church which are called Sacrifices some in Scripture and some by Papists And some things by them called Sacrifices are in their Church which God is against If it be the Name that is the question we know that in a General Sence it may be given to many things of different Species and equivocally yet to more but which Sence to call proper among so many let quibling Grammarians tell him We strive no further about Names than tendeth to preserve the due Judgment of things Sometime a Sacrifice signifieth a second thing offered to God by way of worship Sometime more strictly somewhat supposed
highly to gratifie or please him offered to expiate some Crime that displeaseth him or by pleasing to procure some benefit from him Among Heathens and Jews there were various sorts of Sacrifices Some Hilastical some Eucharistical Some of things Lifeless and some of Living Creatures where strictly part was burnt and so offered to God and part given to the Priest and part eaten by the Offerers We hold 1. That Jesus Christ offered his Body on the Cross a Sacrifice to God for the expiation of Sin as a thing pleasing to God in a sence which no other Sacrifice ever was or is not that God delighted in his Blood Pain or Death as such but as finis gratiâ it was the most excellent means to demonstrate his Wisdom Love Justice and Mercy and save a sinful race of men with the honour of his Law and Government 2. We hold that Christ hath instituted his Sacrament to be a visible Representation of this his Sacrifice both for Commemoration and for actual Investiture and Collation of Christ to be our Saviour and Head in Union and of his Grace and Benefits Pardon Reconciliation Adoption Justification Sanctification and Title to Glory And we know that the ancient Churches called this often a Sacrifice Not in the same sence as Christ was our Sacrifice nor as the Mosaical Types were Sacrifices but a Representative Sacrifice representing Christs own But we are the shier to use the name Sacrifice where Papists apply it to Idolatry 3. We know that all Christians are bound to dedicate themselves to God and even to lay down their Lives when he requireth it and bound to offer him penitent Confession Praise Thanksgiving and to give Alms to the poor and serve and honour him with all their Wealth and Power And all these are called Sacrifices in Scripture because they are sacred oblations acceptable to God through the merits of Christs Sacrifice Is not this man a Calumniator then that faith we hold that there is not in the Church a true and proper Sacrifice unless he call none true and proper but what no man can offer to God But what say we to the Sacrifice of the Mass We say that for the Priest to pretend that after his words Bread is turned into Christs Flesh in a Physical sence and Wine into his Blood and that this is our God and that he sacrificeth this God to God and eateth and drinketh him so sacrificed and that all that so receive him have Eternal Life This is a prophanation of Holy things a deceiving of Souls a blaspheming of Christ and Idolatry against God And all sacrificing in their Mass that is more than a Representation of Christs own sacrificing himself for Commemoration and Communication of the gifts of his Testament and the expression of our Gratitude and Devotedness to God by him is their own prophane invention How do they offer his broken body and blood shed any otherwise than Representatively unless they kill him and eat him when he is Dead It was only a Representation of his own sacrificed Body and Blood which he made at the Sacrament himself not then broken and shed but to be broken slain and shed soon after unless he had two bodies one dead and one alive The Sacrament indeed was called a Sacrifice by the ancient Churches to signifie that it is not Christs body as now glorified in Heaven that is there Represented but his body as once flesh and blood sacrificed on the Cross And how can it be that but by Representation sacrificing it was killing it Do they kill Christ a thousand thousand times over yea and kill his Gloryfied body He hath no existent Flesh and Blood in Heaven speaking properly and formally but a Spiritual glorified body that was Flesh and Blood on Earth And doth every Priest turn Christs Spiritual glorified body into Flesh and Blood again O what a Mass of prophanation is their Mass Tho Two and Fortieth accused Point That Sacramental Vnction is not to be used to the Sick Ans In those Hot-Countries anointing their bodies was used as a great refreshment for Delight and Health And Christ and his Apostles applyed it to the Miraculous use of Healing as Christ did Clay and Spittle to a blind Man And while that miraculous use continued St. James bids those that are sick as a punishment for some sin to send for the Elders of the Church that they may pray for the pardon of his sin and for his recovery and anoint him with Oil and if he have not sinned unto Death that is a Capital Crime which God would have Magistrates punish with Death and will do so himself his Sin shall be forgiven and he shall be healed See now the Malice of the Prince of Darkness He that tempteth men to cast out half the substance of the Lords Supper meerly to shew what they can and will and dare do against his Word and tempteth men to forbid the very Scripture it self yet to undoe he will overdoe and draw men to be wise and Righteous over much Who would think these men are against the sufficiency of Scripture that will turn its temporary occasional actions into perpetual Sacraments They make Conscience of washing Feet of bearing Palms of the Holy-Kiss but on the Pax and a Sacrament of anointing the sick And why they make not a Sacrament of anointing the Blind with Clay and Spittle of washing at Jordan or Siloam Pools and of the said Kiss and washing of Feet of bearing Palms of the Popes Riding on an Ass c. I know not But for the Name of a Sacrament bring first a Military and then a Church Term not used in Scripture we will not quarrel with them They may laxly extend it to almost any Ceremony or sign Religiously used rightly or wrongly But 1. They use that to the Dying when they judge them past hope which St. James spake of using for Recovery 2. They use that as an ordinary thing which was to be used only for miraculous Cures and yet shew not that they have the Faith or gift of Miracles nor cure any by it 3. They force men to that feigned Sacrament now ceased with that gift which was used to none but such as Voluntarily desired it Why are they not conâ—â—â—â—ed to use it themselves but they must force all others to it as necessary What Man Woman or Child do you read of in all the New-Testament that was anointed in order to Death save a Woman that meant no such thing that anointed Christ in Health Where read you that Dragoons or Inquisitors inforced it and draged naked the bodies through the Streets and Buryed them in Dunghils or where Dogs may eat them if they refuse it Whose Sacraments can we think are these The Three and Fortieth accused Point That no Interior Grace is given by Imposition of hands in Holy Orders And that ordinary Vocation and Mission of Pastors is not necessary in the Church Ans Contrarily the Reformed Catholicks hold
without teaching and that sound teaching nor by hearkening to Erroneous Deceivers 3. Nor that the Slothfull that will not meditate on it can understand it tho' they have the soundest teachers 4. Nor that Novices can understand as much in a short time and small Study as aged long exercised Students 5. Nor that wicked proud men that forfeit Gods help can savingly understand it without his Grace and Spirit 6. Nor that any man how holy soever perfectly understandeth every word in the Scriptures 7. Nor that a person may not be fallible and deceived that yet knoweth which is the Infallible Rule It maketh not all Infallible that know it 8. Nor that any Church or any Number of Christians on Earth have such a Vnity as consisteth in perfect knowledge and agreement in all matters of Faith that is of Scripture-record from God 9. Nor that God hath tyed this Infallible Regulation to the Bishop of Rome or made him this Rule seeing no such word of God is extant and General Councils have condemned Popes of Heresie Infidelity Ignorance and most brutish lust and wickedness 10. Nor that the Judgment of the major part of Christians or Bishops is the Infallible Rule for 1. The Papal part are but a third part And they will hardly believe that the other two or three parts Abissines Egyptians Syrians Armenians Georgians Circassians Greeks Muscovites Protestants are the Infallible rule 2. And if they met in an equal Council they that are most out of the Council would be the most in it And Ephes 2. and many others now condemned have had the Major part And Chrysostom that thought that few Bishops or Priests were saved thought not the greater number to be the infallible Rule 11. And Pope and Councils agreeing are not that Infallible rule for two fallibles makes not one infallible nor two Knaves one honest Man Popes and Councils have oft condemned one another yea they have oft agreed in evil as did that at Laterane the 4th under Innocent the 3d. that decreed the deposition of Princes that exterminate not all that renounce not all Senses and Humanity for those that have led into the Churches of the West all the horrid Errors of Rome to pretend yet that they are the Infallible rule of understanding Scripture is Impudency quite beyond that of Satan himself 12. If this Deceiver hold what is contrary to his accused Protestant Opinion he must condemn the Church of Rome that agreeth not of the sense of a thousand Texts of Scripture Horseloads of Commentators and Cartloads of School-contenders contradicting one another And he that will say that all revealed in Scripture is not matter of Faith reproacheth God as revealing that which is not to be believed All matters of Faith are not essential to Christianity but some are only for the perfection of it All is matter of Faith that we are bound to believe as Divine Revelation All the Scripture is such thô the ignorant must have time and help to understand it and explicitely receive it The Popes themselves e. g. Sixtus Quintus and Clem. 8. have differed in many hundred Texts about the very Latine Translation Many hundred Volumes of Controversies among them tell us how far they are from ending Controversies and agreeing in all matters of Faith But in so much as is necessary to Salvation all serious believing Protestants or Reformed Catholicks are agreed Now to trouble the Reader with the proof of any of these twelve particulars would be but to abuse Time and him as to prove that no Man is perfect and he that saith he hath no sin is a Lyar and to prove that the grand Deceivers of the Church are not Infallible and that Gods Word is not unevident and unintelligible and that such Villains as their own Councils and Historians say many Popes were speaks not more intelligibly and wisely than God and that the Volumes of Canons and Priests Writings are not of more evident meaning than Gods Word these need proof to none but those that are uncapable of it What Rule is there for the Infallible understanding the sence of all our Statute Laws none but what I mentioned The intelligible evidence in the words what else are words used for to men duely instructed and studyed The Judges govern by deciding particular causes by the Law but are not an Infallible Rule for all Men to understand the true sence of the Law by while Judges and Parliaments differ from each other as Popes and Councils did The Texts cited by the Deceiver are so vilely abused as if he purposed but to make sport by taking Gods Word in vain Point 2. Accused That in matters of Faith we must not rely on the Judgment of the Church and of her Pastors but only on the written word Ans The Deceiver would Cheat the Ignorant by Confusion and belying the Reformed Catholicks for 1. It 's false that the Reformed hold any of this undistinguishing Assertion They distinguish between humane Faith and Divine And I hope God and Man may be distinguished They say that it must be a Divine Faith that is The Belief of Gods word for the Infallible Veracity of God that must save us and not the belief of Man alone But that a humane Faith is needful in Subserviency to a Divine God hath appointed humane Teachers to the Flocks and Oportet discentem Credere He will never learn that will believe nothing on his Teachers Credit But he must believe Man but as Man an imperfect fallible Creature yet as like to know more than he that chooseth him for his Teacher And that which Man is to teach us is to see the Evidence of Gods own Word that we may believe it for that Evidence as our Teachers themselves must do For if the Teachers do but believe one another and not God or God only for Man's Authority this is not Religion nor Divne Faith but humane such as they had that believed Pythagoras Plato Mahomet c. If Boys learn of their School-Master to understand the Greek or Latin Testament and believe them as to Sence this is not Divine Faith but a help towards it The word of God is Infallible And by the help of fallible Men such as disagreeing Commentators be we are furthered for understanding it But false bloody Usurpers are not the likest to teach us the Truth nor fittest to be trusted His Citations of Scriptures to mistated Controversies are so putidly impertinent that I am ashamed to detect them by words which every Man may do The Third accused Point That the Scriptures are easy to be understood and therefore none are to be restrained from Reading them Ans Meer Cheat to the Ignorant by confusion and falshood 1. We and all Papists with us agree the more is the Guilt of the Deceivers Fraud that some of the Scripture is easy to be understood and is actually understood by all true Christians even all that is essentsal to Christianity and necessary to Salvation Bellarmine Castrus
must teach them to understand God's Book or to throw it away May not the Teacher and the Book consist together Must School-Boys be forbid to Learn their Grammar because they must have a Teacher Must he teach them the Book or teach them without Book But all the Craft is to get all the World to take only such Cheaters as this for their Masters and then Bible or no Bible may serve turn 16. Is it not the Office of Teachers to Translate God's Word into known Tongues that the People may understand it This is the first part of Preaching it If not why do they use Translations in the Church of Rome the Septuagint and the Vulgar Latin And why did Sixtus 5th and Clem. 8. make such a stir to Correct the Latin And why do so many Comment on them And the Rhemists turn it into English But what is all this for but to help Men to understand the Book 17. Doth not all the Word of God cry down Ignorance and cry up Knowledge from End to End And what Knowledge is it but Divine of the Word and Law of God What else is the scope of all the first Nine Chapters of Solomons Proverbs and of Psal 1. 19. and 119 c. God saith Hos 4. 6. My People perish for lack of knowledge And Isa 27. 11. It is a people of no understanding therefore he that made them will not save them Ignorance and Blindness are made the common cause of Errour Sin and Misery But we are so far from taking all parts of Scripture to be equally necessary to be understood that we are more than the Papists for first and most diligently teaching them the Essentials the Creed Lord's Prayer and Commandments and Baptism and Church Communion and the Lord's Supper and lesser parts as they grow up what they must learn first their Teachers must instruct them 18. If he say as they still do that the Ignorant will misunderstand the Scripture and every one turn it to his own Fancy and Heresie I answer The way to prevent this is to teach it them diligently what else is the Ministry for and not to forbid it them Every Knave may pervert the Law of the Land to maintain his own ill Cause and must the Law therefore be forbidden them Reason is far more commonly abused than Scripture There is no Heresie or Error no Villany Perjury Cruelty Persecution Oppression or Injustice but Reason is pleaded for it Must Reason therefore be renounced Heresies are for want of understanding God's word and must be cured by understanding it 19. And if all the World must take the Popes or Priests words instead of Gods or for their Rule how shall those in Aethiopia Syria America or here know what the Popes Word is That never see him or any that hath seen him And how shall we know when above twenty times there have been two Popes at once which of them is the Right And when they contradict and Damn each other which of them must we believe And when General Councils accuse them of Errour and Condemn them which is to be trusted with our Souls Or if it be Councils that must be to us instead of Scripture when they Damn each other which must we believe And so abundance of them have done When the Pope and they agreed to depose Christian Princes and give away their Dominions and disoblige their Subjects from all their Oaths of Allegiance is it as true as the word of God that all Subjects must believe and obey them But how shall all the poor People know what the Pope and Councils say and hold They can neither read their Volumes nor understand them nor know which are authentick and true Must they all believe their Parish Priest What if he be as very a Deceiver as the writer of this Touchstone that doth but Cheat from the beginning to the end Yet must we take his word instead of Gods Or when other Priests or Fryars contradict him which of them must we believe What if his Parishoners know him to be ignorant or a common Lyar Yet must our Salvation rest on his word and God's word be forbidden us What if we obey him in Error and Sin will he undertake to be Damned for us Or will his undertaking or Damnation save those whom he mislead c. As to his Citation of Scripture against Scripture it is so palpable a perversion that I will leave any Man that will but Read the Text to his own ability to answer him Rev. 5.1 No Man in Heaven or Earth was worthy to open the Sealed Books that John saw in his Vision What then must no Man therefore open the Bible Or because the Revelation is hard must therefore the People be forbidden to Read it and the rest of God's word which was written for them as sufficient to make them wise to Salvation yea to make the simple wise Psal 19. And with as shameless a Face doth he cite the Fathers against the drift of all their writings and Labours and the Judgment of all the Churches of Christ for many hundred years of its purest foundest Primitive times The Fourth accused Point That Apostolical Traditions and ancient Customs of the Church not Founded in the written word are not to be received nor do oblige us Ans This is but more Deceit by confusion and false report The Reformed Catholicks hold 1. That Memory is not so sure a way to deliver any Laws and Doctrines to Posterity through many hundred years as writing is For it must lie on the Memories of so many Thousands in so many Ages and so many parts of the World Of so many Languages Kingdoms and cross Interests and Opinions in their quarrels and the things to be remembred are so many that this needs no proof with any but Fools or Mad-men What a Religion should we have had if instead of the Bible it must have all been brought us down by the Memories of all the Rabble of ignorant and wicked Popes yea or of the best and by the Memories of all the Prelates and Priests that have pretended to be the Church Why do they themselves write their pretended Traditions if writing them were not needful And why have we all our Statutes Records and Law-Books if the Lawyers and Peoples Memories would keep and deliver them without these When Men's Memories Wits and Honesty are so weak that we can scarce get one Story carried without falsifying through many Hands 2. We hold that God in mercy hath therefore considered Man's Weakness and Necessity and before the Apostles died inspired them to Record so much of his Law and Gospel and Will as was universally necessary for all his Subjects to know in order to Divine belief Obedience and Salvation And hath left nothing of this importance and necessity unrecorded in the Law of Nature God's Visible works and Scripture knowing that after Ages were not to have new universal Legislators to make such Laws for all the
the using of it as a dedicating Symbol of Christianity in Baptismal Covenanting to bind the Covenanter to that Confession and holy warfare which is the promised duty of the Covenant nor for denying Christendom to those that refuse this use of the Cross out of a fear lest this Covenanting use make it a human Sacrament added to Baptism yet I meet with few of them that Condemn the ancient Christians that lived among Heathens who scorned them as worshiping a Crucified God for their seasonable Crossing themselves in those Heathens sight meerly to shew that they were not ashamed of such a Crucified Saviour not thinking what Papists would bring it to at last The Two and Fiftieth accused Point That the publick Service of the Church ought not to be said but in a Language that all the People may understand Ans The Reformed Catholicks indeed hold this with these exceptions 1. That by All be meant the Ordinary Congregation not meaning that if a French-man or a Dutch-man come in among them they must needs speak to him apart in his own Tongue 2. That if any Rustick Illiterate or Novices understand not many words in the Translation of the Bible or some apt words of the Minister we must not therefore change the Translation nor forbear those apt words that are suited to the more Intelligent but help to amend the understanding of the Ignorant But that in Publick and Private the Congregation should understand what they hear as the Word of God and what is said in Confession Prayer and Praise to God this we hold as a matter of grand importance 1. Because it 's purposely plainly and copiously decided so by the Holy Ghost in the Apostle Paul 1 Cor 14. Do but read the Chapter and judge 2. Because Christ always Preached to the people in a known Tongue 3. He prayed Joh 17. in a known Tongue and taught them so to pray 4. The Apostles where ever they came Preached and Prayed in a known Tongue 5. They wrote the Gospels the Acts and all their Epistles to whole Churches in the Tongue most commonly known to the Reader and so to be read to or by all 6. It was their standing Rule Let all be done to Edification 7. Their Preaching and writing was all for Teaching And it is no Teaching to speak to men in a strange Language unless we be teaching them to understand it 8. Praying is the expressing of known desires to God It 's no Prayer that expresseth no Desire and Ignoti nulla Cupido There is no Desire save sensitive Appetite that supposeth not Knowledge that the thing is good and needful The words of a Parrot are not a Prayer And confession of Sin is the act of a penitent Soul and it is no Repentance or Confession that is but words of they know not what It 's no penitent Confession to hear or speak words not understood what Sin they signifie And to give God thanks implyeth that we understand what Mercies or benefits the words express And to praise God is understandingly to magnifie his perfections or Works So that words without understanding them are no more to be called Prayer Praise Confession Thanksgiving than the singing of a Bird is or the Crowing of a Cock. 9. No reasonable man would be thus served or conversed with A Parent indeed can understand an Abba or a look from an Infant but it is on supposition that the Infant himself perceiveth what he would have And if it be not by intellectual but sensitive perception it is no more a Petition to his Father than a Dogs waiting for Food tho' the person deserves more pity So God understandeth the meaning of Spiritual Groans in one that wants words for large expression But that supposeth that it is true inward desires after him which those Groans signifie But publick worship requireth a conjunction of Soul and Service and therefore a conjunct understanding Else there is no true Union and Communion in the worship For one sound of words with discord of desires is no Christian Union and Communion It must be supposed that either the Hearers are not praying at all or else that every one is secretly praying after his own thoughts for various things without any Concord What melody would it be for all the Church to sing in as many Tunes as persons What King or Judge will take it for a Petition for a man to talk-gibberish to him or say he knoweth not what 10. Even Papists deride Quakers for meeting to say nothing And what difference is there when they hear and say nothing understood saving that the Voice maketh it a more pompous Mockery than the Quakers Silence O! who would have thought that the primitive manner of publick worship should ever have degenerated into such a prophane abuse of God and man against plain Scripture universal practice and humane Reason And this as a part of a grand design to kill the Life of all true Religion and delude Souls with the dead Carkass of mortified Formalities and Ceremonies and that men should think that Souls are saved as Wizards do pretend to do Cures by Charms of words not understood they serve God with empty shells when they have cast away the Kernels Like the silly Samaritan Woman that lookt for a Christ to come to tell them whether in this Mountain or at Jerusalem men ought to worship little knowing what it was to worship God as a Spirit in Spirit and Truth when it should be neither at that Mountain or at Jerusalem But hath this man no Scripture against Scripture Yes Luk. 1.8 The people were praying without while the Priest was offering Incense within Therefore the publick Worship may be performed so as the people understand not That 1. The Priests action only out of their sight is the publick worship and the peoples praying is not so 2. The offering Incense is Praying or because the people are not to do the Priests Office in Incense and Sacrificing therefore Ministers must pray and praise God alone without the people and all this publick worship 3. If the Levitical Sacrifices were offered by the Priest alone Christs Gospel worship must be performed by the Priest alone the people not knowing what he saith And the precepts and examples of the New-Testament must all be reduced to the Levitical Order of Incense and Sacrificing 4. And is he sure that all the people in the outer Court prayed they knew not what or in an unknown Tongue What use is Scripture of to these men His next is Levit. 16.17 None was to go in with the Priest to make attonement for the Congregation c. Ans You see that these men are Judaizers and set up the Levitical Law for the Churches Rule of Service as if Christ had not changed the Law But our Question is not now Whether their Priest have any solitary attonement to make for the Congregation but whether Christ hath not instituted such publick worship in which Ministers and people
must understandingly joyn Doth their Priest celebrate their Mass alone out of the peoples sight or hearing in a Sanctuary while they are in the outer Court Do not their people assemble to their Mass Will they stand to it that their Church renounceth all worship of God in Holy Assemblies save by the Priest alone And is this the Holy Catholick Church And the man here professedly calls the Priests solitary action the publick Service which is for the people and not by them and therefore they need not understand and all the peoples Prayers are private and should be understood so that the Mystery opened either the Priest is all the Church or else they have no publick Church Service if they must meet that every one may have a secret Prayer of his own and may only see the Priests Service called publick And by this he pretends that he answereth Paul 1 Cor. 14. Adding most shamelesly 1. That it seemeth there by the Text that the common Service of the Church was not then in a Tongue commonly understood 2. Because there was one to supply the place of the Ideots to say Amen where he saith that the Geneva-men most deceitfully and maliciously Translated He that is an Ideot how shall he say Amen And raileth at them for putting So be it O! what is man and how incredible is the pretended infallible Clergy that can expect that all men trust their Souls on such palpable deceit When St. Paul spent a great part of the Chapter to disswade those that by Inspiration could speak strange Languages that they should not use them in the Church as being unedifying or at least not without an Interpreter this man gathers that the common Service was in an unknown Tongue As if this disswaded use of some Prophets gift were the common Service 2. And when he disswadeth them from Praying in an unknown Tongue or giving thanks in it saying else how can he that occupieth the Room of the unlearned say Amen this man feigneth that yet they were to give thanks in an unknown Tongue and one was to supply the place of the Ideot or unlearned in saying Amen See vers 23. Paul would have all say Amen this man says one was to do it for them Paul argueth that therefore they must speak to the understanding of the unlearned This man turneth his own words against him Doth his Supplier of the Ideots place himself understand or not If not Paul saith How can he say Amen If he do how doth he supply the place of the Ideots that are supposed should say Amen and cannot For the sake of this Chapter and Instance I shall never think any words so plain that Papists cannot turn against their most evident sense But what is the Man's pretence for this erroneous Confidence Why the Vulgar Latine Translateth it Qui supplet locum instead of Qui implet locum And that Latin Translator by supplet meant the same as implet possidet vel tenet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is well known to signifie to fill up Their own Expositors are many of them for the Sence which this Doctor chargeth as deceitfully and maliciously given Cornelius a Lapide saith that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is Denuo implere vel simul Communiter omnes implere to fill again or all together or in common to fill It is not Qui supplet vicem indocti but Qui locum occupat inter in doctos or Idiotae locum tenet And so it is expounded by the ancients Chrysostom Occumenius Theophysact And are not these Roman Priests notoriously Perjured that all Swear to expound the Scripture according to the unanimous consent of the Fathers when as besides that the Fathers have but few of them written Commentaries on the Scriptures there are very few of them that unanimously agree of the Sence of the one half of the Scripture Texts but either say nothing of them or differ And not only in this but in most points named by this Doctors Touchstone he and others go flat against them And what meaneth the man to rail at them that say So be it instead of Amen Is it not a true Translation But he will prove that it should not be Translated and consequently that Servict may be said in an unknown Tongue for Amen is not Greek but Hebrew Ans 1 Who can stand before these Arguments if they be but backt with Guns and Swords or Smithfield Fires which are too hot for any Answer save Patience He may also prove it from Christs Words on the Cross Eloi Eloi Lamasabacthani For Christ was now the most publick Priest and was offering the most publick Service by his Sacrifice Ergo the publick Service should be in an unknown Tongue And it may be they may find some other untranslated word that shall confute not only all the Bible but all the Septuagint and Vulgar Latine Translations But seeing these Men's Arguments are too hot for me to answer as they might know that the Church of England refuseth not AMEN so neither will I though as I can prove that the Corinthian Church were Hebrews and Gentiles mixt and that Amen was understood by both so Protestants use it as a word understood From the Serpents Seed and his deceiving subtil Lies From Cain and his Successours and the malignant and Blood-thirsty Enemies of Abels faithful acceptable worship from such a worldly and fleshly Sacred Generation as take gain for Godliness and make their worldly carnal interest the Standard of their Religion and their proud Domination to pass for the Kingdom of Christ From an Vsurping Vice-Christ whose ambition is so boundless as to extend to the Prophetical Priestly and Kingly Headship over all the Earth even at the Antipodes and to that which is proper to God himself and our Redeemer From a Leprous Sect which Condemneth the far greatest part of all Christs Church on Earth and separateth from them and calleth it self the whole and only Church From that Church that decreeth Destruction to all that renounce not all humane Sense by believing that Bread is not Bread nor that Wine is Wine but Christs very Flesh and Blood who now hath properly no Flesh and Blood but a Spiritual Body and that decreeth the Excommunication Deposition and Damnation of all Princes that will not exterminate all such and absolveth their Subjects from their Oaths of Allegiance From that Beast whose Mark is PER Perjury Perfidiousness and Persecution and that think they do God acceptable Service by killing his Servants or tormenting them and that Religion which feedeth on Christs Flesh by Sacrificing those that he calleth his Flesh and Bones Ephes 5 From the infernal Dragon the Father of Lies Malice and Murder and all his Ministers and Kingdom of Darkness GOOD LORD make haste to deliver thy Flock and confirm their Faith Hope Patience and their Joyful desire of the great true final Glorious Deliverance AMEN AMEN AMEN FINIS This Book was delivered by Mr. Baxter himself to the