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
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
killing all baptized persons that obey not the Pope with many such 8. If Tradition tell us of any Customs used in the Apostles or Primitive times that be not in Scripture and so be not made matters of Necessity to all yea or of any occasion all mutable Customs that are mentioned in Scripture as washing the Saints Feet the Holy Kiss the Womans Vail long or short Hair Collections each Lords Day Preachers Travelling on Foot c. we quarrel not with the then use of such Traditions when they were seasonable no more than with forbearing things strangled and blood Nor quarrel we with the Churches after that setled Easter Day and made the 20th Canon of the Nicene Council and used divers Ceremonies at Baptism But Traditions of things Indifferent and Mutable we receive but as such to be laid aside when the occasion ceaseth And if any will turn them into a necessary common Law we disclaim such Usurpers for they cross that very Tradition It was delivered as Indifferent and you feign and make it a necessary Law and so destroy it 9. We maintain openly that Tradition is against the Papacy and its Corruptions They are but a third or fourth part of Christians The other two or three parts of the Christian World profess that the Tradition of their Churches is against the Popes universal Sovereignty and against all the Corruptions of which they accuse him None but the shameless will deny that the Abassians Armenians Greeks and others plead that this is their Tradition And Reader tell us why the Tradition of two or three parts of the Church should not rather be believed against a third part than that which the third part boast of against all the rest 10. Ask them which way they know and keep their Traditions Whether they have any History Records or any other way which we may not know as well as they If they pretend that it is a Secret kept by their Church it 's a strange Secret that so many Thousands know But if it be a thing proveable let them prove it 11. Is it not unmercifulness to tell all the Christian World that as big and hard as the Bible is if they knew and obeyed it all they cannot be saved unless they believe and do more kept by the Pope and called Tradition When yet these Deceivers can dispense with the knowledge and practice of God's own word and think the Bible a Book too big and hard and the Prophane say too strict to be commonly understood and kept And yet all the Bible is not Enough but we must be bound to as much more as they will call Tradition yea Volumes also of Papal Canon Laws 12. Did not Christ for this thing Condemn the Old Pharisees Mat. 15 Prove your Traditions to be Apostolical and about things necessary and not your Forgeries or about things mutable and indifferent and we will obey all such Apostolical Traditions But your Novelties and Usupations shall not pass with us for Divine Laws because you can call them such The Fifth accused Point That a Man by his own understanding and private Spirit may rightly judge and interpret Scripture Ans Can any Man unriddle what this Deceiver meaneth 1. Can a Man judge without his own understanding 2. What meaneth he by a private Spirit Little know I. If he mean God's Spirit it is no contemptible nor private Spirit even in a private Man If he mean a Man 's own Spirit Soul or Intellect it is the same as his own understanding If he mean any Evil Spirit or fancy and Erroneous self-conceit we defie such Spirits and Deceivers that use them To understand without our own understandings is a Mystery fit for Rome Why may not a Dog or a Sheep be said so to understand the Scripture if it may be understood without our own understandings What a Curse is on the ignorant Nations that will be led by such words as these But if he will say that he meant By his own understanding alone without a Teacher why did he not say so but say one thing and do another But that had been too gross a Lye to have been believed by them that see that we set up Teachers in all our Congregations 3. Therefore I can imagine nothing but absurdity in his words unless he mean that we hold that a Man may rightly Interpret Scripture by his own understanding immediately instructed by his Teacher and God's Spirit without taking the Sence only at the rebound on the belief of the Pope and his Clergy For we never thought that a Man 's own natural Wit without a Teacher and the help of God's Spirit can savingly understand and apply the Scripture And yet we would fain tell Papists a better way to Convert a Philosopher or a Turk than to Preach to them thus God hath written his Law and Gospel to the World but you cannot tell what is the meaning of it till you take that sence on trust from our Pope and Clergy and know that Christ authorized him to be Judge and that before you believe in Christ or understand the word that so authorizeth him Were not corrupted Nature very blind in things Spiritual Plow-men and Tinkers and Coblers would be able to confute such Fopperies and much more Priests and Popes and Prelates 4. But I pray you tell me whether the Pope and his Prelates do not interpret Scripture by their own understandings Whose understandings else do they judge by in Conclaves or Councils 5. And tell me whether he that judgeth that the Pope is Christs Vice-Christ and Ruler at the Antipodes and is infallible tho' he be by Councils condemned for a Simonist and Infidel an Atheist a Seducer or an ignorant Sot Doth not this Man judge all this by his own understanding If a Man take an ignorant sottish Priest for the Mouth of the Catholick Church tho' he know no more what he talks against than this Roman Deceiver doth he not judge this by his own understanding If a Sot will believe you that your Sect is the whole Church and all are Damned tho' they love God and believe in Christ if they will not be ruled by the Pope and every Mass-Priest doth he not judge thus by his own understanding Do you Preach to Men or Beasts that have no understanding of God's Law and Will If a Man must believe all the Canons of Popes and Councils in Baronius Binnius Surius Nicolinus Caranza c. doth he not do it by his own understanding 6. Oh! But the meaning is You are all private ignorant Men and we are the Clergy Kings choose some of us and Popes choose others and whether we are Wise or Fools Learned or Vnlearned Infidels or Christians you are all Damned if you will not follow us and if we be Damned you must be content to be Damned with us And is it so Hath God made Man for no safer and better a Condition than to be Damned when ever Sottish Drunken Priests will
Church can Err and hath Errors Ans This is truly and honestly recited All Protestants hold it and marvel that all the Devils in Hell can so befool any as to deny it 1. No Body can tell what it is that they call the Church till they tell us But what ever it is except confirmed Angels and Souls in Heaven if they cannot Err God and our Saviour and the Apostles have Erred For they tell us that we know but in part and if any Man say that he hath no Sin he is a Lyar 1 Joh. 1. 1 Cor. 13.12 And in many things we offend all Jam. 2.2 Psal 19.12 Who can understand his Errours cleanse thou me from secret faults It was the Church of which God complaineth that they alway Err in their Hearts and have not known God's ways Psal 95.10 Heb. 3.10 unless Caleb and Joshua were all the Church Isa 53.6 All we like Sheep have gone astray c. If by the Church they mean the Priests how full of Complaints against their Errours are all the Prophets and History of the Kings and Chronicles Isa 3.12 O my people they that lead thee cause thee to Err and destroy the way of thy paths Isa 9.15 16. For the Leaders of this people cause them to Err and they that are led of them are destroyed Mal. 2. The Priests Lips should keep knowledge and they should seek the Law at his Mouth for he is the Messenger of the Lord of Hosts But ye are departed out of the way and ye have caused many to stumble at the Law Ye have corrupted the Covenant of Levi saith the Lord of Hosts Therefore have I also made you contemptible and base before all the people according as ye have not kept my ways c. Hos 4.6 My people are cut off for lack of knowledge Because thou hast rejected knowledge I will olso reject thee that thou shalt be no Priest to me Jer. 53.31 The Prophets prophecy falsely and the Priests bear Rule by their means and my people love to have it so and what will ye do in the end hereof 2 Chron. 36.14 16 17. All the chief of the Priests and the people Transgressed very much after the abominations of the Heathen But they mocked the Messengers of the Lord and despised his words and misused his Prophets till the wrath of the Lord arose against his people and there was no healing so Isa 1.2 3 4. Reader is it not worse than Infidelity that these Men teach if they say that the Church hath not Erred Was it no Error when Aaron set them up the Golden-Calf nor when they went after the Idols of the Heathen and worshipped in the High places Was it no Error to take Christ for a Deceiver and Blasphemer worthy to be Crucified Was it no Error to reject the Gospel and persecute the Apostles And had the Apostles no Error when they believed not that Christ must Die for our Sins and rise again and ascend to Heaven but thought he must then set up an Earthly Kingdom Was it no Error of Peter Math. 16. to disswade Christ from Suffering for which Christ said Get thee behind me Sathan thou savourest not the things that be of God but those that be of Men And I think he Erred when Paul openly rebuked his Separation Gal. 2. If all the Church on Earth consist only of persons that have many Errors then the whole Church hath many Errors But the Antecedent is so true that I take him that denyeth it to be so far from knowing what the Church is or what a Christian is that he knoweth not what a Man is and a Church of such are so unfit to be trusted as infallible with all Mens Salvation that they have not the Wit of common illiterate Men or Children And if in all things else they were as mad as in these two Opinions 1. That the Church never did nor can Err. 2. And that all Mens Senses must be denyed for Transubstantiation doubtless they should be kept in Bedlam from humane Converse But for my part I do not think that any Man of them not stark mad doth believe himself that there are any men in the World that have no Error that have any use of Understanding He is far from knowing what Man is that knoweth not that he swarmeth with Errours I oftner doubt whether the greater number of most mens thoughts are true or false But if by the Church they mean only the Pope if he cannot Err then it is no Errour to believe that there is no Life but this and that Mans Soul dieth as the Beasts and that it is lawful to Murther Gods Servants by Thousands or hundred Thousands if all the foresaid Popes in the ages 800 900 1000 1100 Erred not sure there is no such thing as Errour in the World But perhaps by the Church is meant General Councils But 1. If they Erred not in their Decrees doth it follow that therefore they had no Errour 2. But did not the second Council at Ephesus Err Where they tell us that Sola Petri Navicula only the Popes Messengers escaped the Heresie Did not the Council of Calcedon Err in their Opinion when it determined that the Reason of Romes Primacy was because it was the Imperial Seat c. Were all the Councils free from Errour that were for the Arrians And those that were against them And all that were for the Monothelites And those that were against them And all that were for Images and those that were against them c. But at last they come to this that the Pope may Err and Councils may Err but when they agree they cannot Err A happy meeting of Erring persons if they are both cured by it But sure it is not the meeting For the Pope is at Rome when the Council is at Trent Ephesus Constantinople c. If a Council may Err and the Pope Err what proveth it impossible for them to agree in Errour The Pope and Council at Lateran 4th agreed for the Popes deposing Princes that Exterminate not all out of their Dominions that deny Transubstantiation c. Was this no Errour Obj. But this was not a matter of Faith Ans Is it no matter of Faith with them Whether it be Lawful or not according to Gods Law to kill men that believe their Senses and to depose Princes And whether Subjects may break their Oaths of Allegiance and forsake their Prince if the Pope Command them and all because their Prince will not be a Murtherer or Persecutor These are no matters of Faith with them But sure they have made them Articles of their Religion And either the Rebels and Murtherers and Pope and Council Err or else Gods Law and Gospel Err. The Judgment of the Reformed Catholicks is this 1. That there is no man living without Errour 2. That the Apostles of Christ were Commissioned to deliver his Gospel to the World by Word and Record and had his promise of his Spirit to
is 1. Protestants commonly hold That as the Word Church signifieth the Company of sincere Christians and Heart-consenters to the Baptismal Covenant so it is invisible to Man that knoweth not the Heart Inward Faith and Love which denominate them are not seen by others dare any deny this 2. But as the Word Church signifieth the Vniversality of men baptized professing Christianity in publick Assemblies so it was never invisible since such publick profession and Assemblies first began 3. But when the Pagan Persecutors forced their meetings into Woods and Cells and Pits called Conventicles and to Night-Meetings they were hidden from the Persecutors as well as they could hide themselves And so they were when they hid themselves from the Arrian Persecution of Valens Constantius Gensericus Hunnerichus and from the Persians And so were those of Tholouse Piedmont Bohemia and others that hid themselves and fled from the Crusado's under Simon Montford and St. Domonick and others that Murdered them Christ himself fled to Egypt and Galilee from Persecutors His Disciples were met secretly for fear of the Jews when Christ appeared to them when Peter was in Prison many were assembled by Night in a Conventicle at the House of Marks Mother to pray for him The Papists themselves keep hidden Meetings where they cannot have more publick 4. God hath not promised his Church such constant Prosperity as that in every Age any Nation shall have publick Liberty without all Persecution much less that they shall be still uppermost and Masters of the World and have Kings and Emperours always for them 5. But we cannot say that yet the Church hath been so low since the days of Constantine that all Princes have disowned the Essentials of Christianity and we hope it never will be so 6. But all Ages and parts of the Church have not been equally pure and sound In some Ages the Arrians were most In the Reign of Theodosius Junior Anastasius c. the Eutichians prevailed In the days of Philippicus the Monothelites prevailed so that at one of their Councils Binius saith There were Innumerable Bishops In one Emperours time those prevailed that were against Images in Irene's and Theodora's times those that were for them Sometime the Bishop of Rome had most Power and sometime the Bishop of Constantinople and Alexandria For an Hundred years even much of Italy forsook him and set up a Patriarch at Aquileia as their Head Through many Ages the Citizens of Rome themselves expelled him or Fought against him Now in all these Cases the Church as professing Christinanity was still Visible But which of all the parts was the purest and soundest was known to none but the sound parts themselves And when and where the Errours became so great as really to nullifie or invalidate the Profession of Christianity this was known only to those near that had opportunity to know the mind of the accused For Noxa Caput sequitur One man tho' a Prince or Prelate cannot make all his Subjects Hereticks by his Errour So that nothing hath been more Visible than that there have still been professed Christians and so an Universal visible Church on Earth But which parts of this Church have de facto been Sound and which Corrupt and what Errours have nullified their Profession and what only blemisht it this hath never been visible to the Erroneous For no man knoweth that he Erreth but it hath been visible to the Sound And so that the Church of Rome yet Professeth Christianity we know But whether their Errours prove them Babylon or nullifie their Christianity must be known only by trying the guilty Individuals Here the Cheaters say to the Ignorant If the Church hath been always Visible where was your Church before Luther Ans 1. Where-ever there were men professing Christianity and Baptized and not Apostatizing Were there none such in the World must we be put to prove where there were any Christians before Luther Were not the Hearers grosly Ignorant the Cheaters would have no Confidence in such Fopperies as these Obj. But the Church of Rome profest Christianity before Luther Ans It did so and as Christians we are of the same Church with them we know no Universal Church but the Christian as such that is all Christians as only Headed by Christ If you cannot tell whether before Luther there were any Christians in the World in Abassia Egypt Syria Armenia the Greeks Muscovites c. it 's your gross ignorance of History But whether Papists Arrians Eutychians Nestorians Monothelites Phantasians Image-Worshippers do invalidate their profession of Christianity by their contrary Errours and Crimes it much more concerneth themselves than us to enquire and judge But tho' those that nullify not their profession of Christianity are all of the same Church Universal that we are of yet we profess that their New humane Church which is only the Pope as Head and all that adhere to him as such are no Church of Christ at all All Christians as such are parts of the Christian Church But a Policy consisting of a Vice-Christ and his Subjects is a Rellellious Usurpation and no Church Forma denominat As Christ is the Head all are of the Church that truly cleave to him as Head As the Pope is the pretended Head they are all a pack of Rebels And now what an ignorant Cant is it to say The Church cannot Apostatize Ergo it cannot Err Ergo the Pope of Rome and his hireling Clergy cannot Apostatize and Ergo They cannot Err Tell me whether Rome be all the World And whether the Church of Rome and the Christian World be Words of the same signification in any Dictionary And whether an Alexandrian Catholick or a C.P. are Catholick be not as good Sence as a Roman Catholick And whether the Texts or Fathers that you name prophanely will prove that the Church of C.P. Alexandria Antioch or Jerusalem can never Err or Apostatize or be Invisible And whether your own Jesuits confess not that Rome shall do so too in the Reign of Antichrist In the mean time take this answer 1. The Church as intimately Sanctified and sincere was ever invisible 2. The Church Universal as professing Christianity was ever Visible tho' oft hid by Persecution 3. Whether Rome C.P. Jerusalem be a true Church or Apostate is invisible to those that knew them not 4. That the Papal Church as informed by a Universal Vice-Christ is a false Church is Notorious This is our Judgment The Ninth accused Point That the Church was not always to remain Catholick or Vniversal And that the Church of Rome is not such a Church Ans The first part is a meer flat Lye We hold that the Church is always to remain Universal till it be presented perfect in Glory If it remain not Universal what becomes of it Is it a part of something else or annihilated If Christ have no Church he is no Head of the Church and so no Christ What Protestant Church ever said any
because not only they will not by pravity do what they have natural strength to do but also because they will not choose and do what morally they might have chosen and done as to the wills own power 6. And we still say that whenever a man sinneth it was not because it was naturally impossible to do otherwise as to touch the Moon to see without Eyes or through the Earth c. nor for want of natural faculties nor doth God by Grace give man other natural faculties making him an Animal of another Species But men sin because they will sin and they will because they are tempted and now vitiously inclined from which their wills are made free only in that measure that Gods Grace doth sanctifie them If our Priest would have told us what there is in all this Doctrine of Free-will that he dare accuse and what dare he not cccuse we should have seen cause to consider of his Arguments But now he citeth Scripture as in a Dream The Twentieth accused Point That it is impossible to keep the Commandments of God tho' assisted with all his Grace and the Holy Ghost Ans Still meer Confusion Protestants distinguish 1. Impossibility as natural or Moral 2. Of Grace as perfect or Imperfect and as determitately Operative or only Assisting and not Determining And they hold 1. That no Duty is Impossible or the performing of no Commandment by meer Physical Impossibility The reason is because God commandeth no Physical Impossibles Such as before named to speak without a Tongue to see without Light or Object to know things not knowable or revealed to read without any Teaching or Learning c. If a man indeed disable himself as put out his Eyes that he may not read or cut out his Tongue that he may not Preach the disabling act is vitiously aggravated from all the good to which he disabled himself as if it still had been his Duty But we cannot say that God still commandeth him when Blind to Read or when Dumb to Speak c. Indeed God changeth not his Law but recipitur ad modum recipientis The man hath changed his Capacity and is now no Subject capable of such an Obligation or Command tho' he be capable of punishment for disabling himself and Non-performance Sin is no further Sin than it is Voluntary by the wills Omission or Act immediately or mediately 2. But that it is Morally by our pravity now Impossible for any man to keep all Gods Commandments and never Sin what needs there more than sad experience of the matter of Fact 1. Did he ever know the man himself that from his first use of reason to his Death did spend every minute of his time as God commanded him and did Believe and Love God and Man and all good with as great Love as God commanded him And was as free from every Fault Thought Passion Desire Fear Care Trouble Pleasure Word and Deed as God commanded He would be no small Sinner that were so self ignorant proud unhumbled as to say that he is no Sinner 2. Why else do these Priests force all men to confess their Sins to them if men be such as never sinned 3. Why do they compose all their Liturgies and Offices for their Churches with Confessions of Sin and Prayers for Forgiveness 4. Why do they Baptize all if they have no Sin And in what Sence do they give them the Eucharist 5. How little use do they feign such men to have of a pardoning Saviour 6. In what Sence shall such say the Lords Prayer Forgive us our Sins or Trespasses 7. Doth not the Text expresly call him a Lyar that saith he hath no Sin as aforesaid And Christ condemn the Pharisee that justified himself and justified the confessing Publican But it 's like he will say that he did not mean that any man doth keep all the Commands but that he can do it tho' he do not Ans I again say 1. He can as to natural strength if he were but perfectly and constantly willing But it cannot be that he should be so willing without Grace and Grace is not perfect in this Life 2. The more he boasteth of his Power to keep all Gods Laws the more he condemneth himself that can and will not 3. And frustra fit potentia quae nunquam a nemine reducitur in actum If he confess that no man doth it he must confess such a Moral impossibility as the Prophet meant that said Can the Leopard change his Spots or the Blackmore his Skin Then may they that are accustomed to do Evil learn to do well But perhaps he meant not that it is possible to keep all the Commands for all our Lives but for some short time I answer 1. While a man hath the use of his Reason he doth not reach the commanded degree of Faith Love Joy Heavenlyness one moment of time But indeed when a man is asleep in a Swoun an Apoplexy stark mad c. he may for that time break no Command nor keep any But perhaps he speaketh but of sincere Obedience and not of absolute sinless perfection Ans If so he is a deceiver to feign that we deny it But their Doctrine of Perfection and Supererogation is contrary Obj. But he speaketh not what man can do without Grace but by it's assistance Ans Grace maketh no man absolutely sinless and perfect in this Life Let him know that Protestants do not only say that man by Gods Grace may keep Gods Commandments sincerely tho' not sinlesly and perfectly but that no man of Age and Reason shall be saved that doth not so 2. And that tho' all our Obedience be imperfect the Imperfections are pardoned and our Obedience accepted and rewarded for the Merits of the perfect Obedience Sacrifice and Intercession of our Saviour The One and Twentieth accused Point That Faith only Justifieth and that good Works are not absolutely necessary to Salvation Ans Many wordy Controversies are made about things that in Sence men are commonly agreed in 1. We all believe Gods Word that they were deceived that thought they could be justified either by the Law of Innocency or Nature or the Law of Moses or any meritorious Works of their own without or as a supplement to the Sacrifice Merits and free Grace of Christ our Saviour and Faith in him 2. By Faith is meant Christianity In the Gospel it is all one to be a Believer a Disciple of Christ and to be a Christian. The Christian Faith is that which is exprest in the Baptismal Covenant believing in and giving up our selves to God the Father Son and Holy Ghost To Christ as our Prophet Priest and King to be saved by his Merits and free Grace And this is put in opposition to the Works of Adam's or Moses Law or any other that are conceited to suffice and merit without the foresaid Redemption by Christ And is not this the true Doctrine of all true Christians 2. These
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
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