then when the incumbent died the Pope must be judge who shall have it of all these which shall certainly be he that will give most money Thus they make woful Merchandize with mens souls 4. Continual endeavours to stir up wars and imbroil Nations The Pope pretends to be Lord of Lords and King of Kings and therefore he disposeth of Kingdoms sets up and pulls down Princes as he pleases and this is a sufficient pretence for any unjust wars and invasions and wherever there are any differences among Princes and their Subjects he interposeth his authority usually taking the unjust part if like to prevail that they being beholding to him may requite him with some addition to his authority or revenue Pope Zacheriah gave France to Pipin an aspiring man deposing Childerick their lawful King as unfit to govern Leo the 4. gave the Empire of the Romans to Charles the great and another gave England to the French in King Johns time and sent them to Conquer it and of late the Pope gave the East Indies to the Portugal and the West to the Spaniard where they murdred the poor natives as wild beasts made to be destroyed These doctrines and practices are not taught and practised by a few only among them but they are the State policies by which they stand which they never disown never endeavour to reform it is the design of their government to be universal and to attain it by any means Hence we infer that to hold communion with this Church is to conspire against the Church of Christ against all that is sacred or moral Nor may we expect any reformation from them they will not they cannot be better their interest and government depends upon these methods and therefore this Man of sin is the son of perdition appointed to be destroyed not to be reformed let us not deceive our selves with vain hopes They are and must be the same when they have opportunity The second character of this Apostasie is laid down v. 4. Who opposeth himself viz. the man of sin the Head of this apostasie 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an adversary or one that sets himsel against Christ The same title that is given to the Devil viz. Satan an enemy or adversary Now the Devil was an adversary not by denying the true God he believes and trembles James 2.19 nor by causing himself to be worshipped as the supreme God for the Idols which the Heathens worshipped they worshipped as Mediators and servants to the supreme God but under this pretence the Devil took to himself all the worship and service of the world and left God but an empty name of Creatour and supreme residing in heaven when he himself was the God of this world ordering all things after his own lusts this the Devil did so long as Heathenism prevailed by the several Governours and Princes of the world and when he was cast out of Heaven viz. his worship Idolatry and Heathenish superstition abolished by the fail of the Heathen Roman Empire Rev. 12. v. 7 8 9 10. and opposition to the name of Christ was taken away he cast about and after some time delivered his power to the second Beast who used the power and tyranny of the former Beast i. e. the Roman Empire opposing Christ and his worship setting up himself with all superstition and Idolatry but under fair pretences of Christs authority Rev. 13.11 12 c. This beast was like a Lamb but spake as the Dragon and used all the power of the former beast viz. the Heathen government Now that the Pope and his adherents do thus oppose Christ and not his name but his power and worship drawing all subjection to himself and leaving Christ but a bare and empty title he being as Stapleton calls him plain supremum in terris numen i. e. the most high and absolute God in earth It is manifest 1. The Pope will not suffer Christ to be King and law-maker in his Church Kingly power consisteth in making laws and ruling according to them this belongs to Christ and he gave his word to be the law of his Church and his Mininisters to execute and administer it according to his mind But the Pope challengeth the sole power and government of the Church on earth to belong to him the authority of the Scriptures to belong to him that he can add to them take from them or dispense with any thing there commanded that he only must interpret and give them their sense that his determinations is the rule of conscience for whatsoever he defineth or commandeth is to be believed and obeyed and so under the pretence of Christs Vicar he rules as Christ on earth 2. The Pope will not allow Christ to appoint the ordinances of his own worship It belongs to Christ as King to appoint how and by whom he will be worshipped but the Pope will not give him leave He appoints more orders of Officers than Christ did more Sacraments and alters those of his appointing the bread in the supper he maketh a God to be worshipped and yet a Sacrifice to be offered to God the cup he takes away from the people the Council of Trent most insolently telling us that though our Lord Christ instituted and gave his supper to his Apostles under both kinds of bread and wine yet that doth not oblige all the faithful to receive it under both kinds Concil Trid. Ses 21. ch 1. Etsi Christus dominus in ultima coena venerabile hoc Sacramentum in panis vini specicbus instituit Apostlis tradidit non tamen illa institutio traditio â—ò tendunt ut omnes Christi fideles statuto domini ad utramque speciem accipiendam astringantur He appoints Saints and Angels and especially Christs Mother to be worshipped and honoured yea the very Cross on which he was murdered pretending these to be more honour to Christ than the preaching or hearing his holy word Almost the whole body of the Papists worship is of the Popes own institution 3. The Pope will not suffer Christ to appoint the means of his own grace to Salvation Christ as the Saviour of his people as divine and Princely Saviour is to appoint and hath appointed by what means and in what duties he will bestow and increase his grace to eternal life but the Pope lays these aside at his pleasure viz. the reading and hearing the Scripture the use of the Sacraments and prayer in a tongue that can be understood by those that use it and appointeth more upon which the greatest stress of salvation is laid as confession of sin to Priest without out which there is no forgiveness to the living and private Masses both for the quick and dead anointing of Children to confirm them in grace and anointing the dying to strengthen and comfort them against the terror of death crosses and holy water to drive away the devil and so many of this kind that they have greatly obscured the means
challengeth an absolute power to make laws for the whole Church Whatsoever he appointeth though against Scripture and reason must be accounted good and be observed He must with authority interpret Scriptures and what he determineth must be received as the sense of them He declareth what is Heresie and Schism he judgeth all things and persons but must himself be judged of none Now this is a Divine power and God's prerogative that the reason and consciences of men should be subject to him We are to submit our reason to God because he cannot err and our conscience to him because he can command nothing but what is good yea things are good because he commands them therefore the Pope in usurping this power sits as God 3. He claims a power to dispense with Gods Laws to appoint new means whereby men should come to heaven He doth frequently dispense with marriages in all the forbidden degrees Concil Trid. Ses 24. Can. 3.4.6 and the Council of Trent curseth those that think the Church hath not power to forbid marriage in more degrees than the Scripture prescribes or to alter those there set down and to allow marriage in those cases as it shall see cause The Scripture saith marriage is honourable in all Heb. 13.3 but the Pope saith it is not only a disgrace but a damning sin for any of the Ministers of the Gospel to marry It is Gods law 1 Cor. 7.2 to avoid fornication every man should have his own Wife and every woman her own Husband but the Pope saith it is better for Priests to live in fornication than to marry yea and for all persons 't is meritorious of heaven to vow not to marry though they live in all uncleanness he dispenseth with Oaths and vows and nothing humane or divine is or can he obliging any further than he alloweth it he being the supreme judge and determiner of all things God alloweth us the use of all meats fit for food but the Pope forbiddeth the use of many yea annexeth merit and the promise of heaven to the forbearance of certain meats at certain times though they gorge and glut themselves with other sorts of dainties And here let us observe that the Apostle speaketh of an apostasie from the faith that should be in the latter times v. 1. and he giveth this as one character of this apostasie that these apostates should forbid marriage and the use of meats in an hypocritical pretence of godliness which doth so point out the Papists as if they had been named none but they teaching those doctrines especially that of forbidding marriage The Pope maketh it meritorious of pardon and great immunitys to wear the habits to certain Monks and Friers to be buried in a Monks cowle or in the gown of a Capuchin or Carmelite Frier but above all to the saying of so many Ave-maries or Pater Nosters in the 7. chief Churches of Rome which will procure some hundred thousand years pardon 4. He pretends to forgive sin The Jews could say Who can forgive sin but God only and he that taketh upon him to forgive sin Luke 5.21 maketh himself a God But with the Papists every Priest taketh upon him to forgive sin yea a man cannot be forgiven unless he be first absolved by the Priest much more doth the Pope claim a power to forgive all sin and that not declarative only to pronounce the promises of pardon to the penitent but authoritative also to give absolution and heaven to whom he pleaseth In his Jubilees he carrieth in his hand a golden hammer to break open Paradise for all the Pilgrims that come to Rome They do often publish and sell indulgences for all manner of sins it was one special thing that stirred up the spirit of Luther that Frier Teselius came into Germany with indulgencies from Leo the 10. publishing in all Markets and Fairs that he could grant pardon for all manner of sins even though a man had laid with the Virgin Mary The Pope can prevent mens going to Purgatory at all or shorten and lengthen their time there as he pleaseth though they teach Purgatory to be a place where men must satisfie for their sins Part. 3. tit 22. cap. 5.5.6 7. Antoninus maketh a grave Quere whether the Pope may empty Purgatory and release all the souls that be there and as gravely determineth that out of the fulness of his power he may without doubt do it though he thinketh it not expedient he should and so doth the Pope too for then the private Masses and prayers for the dead which are a great part of their service and by which the poor Priests get their livelyhood would cease 5. The Pope taketh to himself the name and titles of God and Christ Dominus Deus noster Papa our Lord God the Pope is the language of their Canon Law Paul the 5. caused a triumphal Arch to be set up at Tolentum under which he was to enter the City with this inscription Paulo quinto Vice deo to Paul the 5. the vice-God They say the Pope is the rock the foundation of the Church her head and husband Lord of Lords and King of Kings c. When some among themselves were offended at these blasphemous titles Bishop Beedle informs while he was in Italy about 70. years since there was a congregation appointed at Rome to redress these abuses Beed answer to Wodsw called congregatio de moderandis titulis but before they could do any thing to purpose the Pope forbid them to proceed because he said there were no titles given him but what dignitas praerogativa Sancti Petri c. the dignitys and prerogatives of Peter would well enough bear Thus this Roman State is the Beast in whose head are the names of Blasphemy Rev. 13.1 Hence it appears though the Pope call himself the servant of servants and the Vicar of Christ yet he doth indeed usurp the place of Christ and the honour and authority of God himself wherefore he is deservedly accounted the Antichrist in both senses of the word Hostis emulus Christi both the opposer of Christ and his competitour that contends with him for honour and usurps his place and dignity The Apostle saith that there were many Antichrists in the world in his time 1 John 2.18 and that the spirit of Antichrist was then entered into the world 1 John 4.3 and that these Antichrists were apostates from the Christian Church They went out from us chap. 2.19 but yet that there was one special Antichrist to come of which the Church was forewarned you have heard that Antichrist should come cap. 2.18 and surely there hath never been a more dangerous enemy of Christ than this apostate State of Rome The Heathens had but one way of opposing Christ viz. persecution which tended much to the honour of Christ and his grace by the sufferings of the faithful but these both destroy by persecution those that are most upright
Pagan which did impose her Idolatrous wrship upon the world Lastly that it is Rome Papal as it now is and hath been for many ages past which is this Babylon and not Rome when she shall utterly renounce the Christian faith in the end of the world as some Papists without shadow of reason fancy is proved in that she is arrayed in purple and Scarlet decked with gold and precious stones and pearls which is the garb of the Pope and his Cardinals In that she is the Mother of fornications Idolatries through the earth and that she is drunk with the blood of Saints and Martyrs Rome Papal having destroyed far more Christians than ever Heathen Rome did And that the beast that carries this whore the Roman State is full of names of blasphemy v. 3. the blasphemous titles and power which the Pope usurpeth to himself and his Roman Church above any heathen that ever was And especially in that the ten horns upon the head of the beast that carries this Whore which are ten Kingsarising out of the dissolution of the Roman Empire are said to have received no Kingdom in Johns time but to receive it one hour with the beast v. 12. yea to give their power to the beast to set him up and maintain his Empire and to be deluded by him till God shall turn their hearts against him to destroy him v. 13 -17 The beast himself also was to be the eighth head of the former great beast and yet one of the seven i. c. a new government in Rome for the manner of it not much different from the preceding Emperours all which are apparently fulfilled in the Pope and his adherents For when Augustulus laid down the Empire Ann. Chr. 476. there immediately appeared ten small Kingdomes sometimes more sometimes fewer in this Western part of the world and then the Pope began to usurp the dominion of Rome and both he and they grew up together and strengthened each other till they were all inslaved by him and had inabled him to trample Emperours under his feet likewise the declining or wane of Popedome in these too last ages hath been caused by the withdrawing of these very Princes from his subjection whose Kingdomes were once provinces of Rome and whose predecessors had given their power to the Pope and when a few more shall follow their example the Pope will lofe his triple Crown These things thus explained the Observation is clear Obs It is the command of Christ to all his people to withdraw from the communion of Papal Rome as they would avoid joyning in her sins and to those that have opportunity to forsake the dwellings of Rome as they would escape her plagues When the whole world after the flood apostatized from God and his worship God singled out the family of Abraham and in time increast them to a nation to put his name and to keep up his worship among them for this the rest especially their neighbours in the East hated and opposed them and the heads of this opposition were Egypt Niniveh and at last Babylon in Chaldea which swallowed up all her neighbours Thus there was a long contest betwixt the Church of the Jews who adhered to God and pure religion and Babylon which was become the head of the Pagan Apostasie in the East In like manner the Gospel was no sooner planted and spread throughout the Western world but there began a defection to Idolatry in the worship of Saints and Angels and after some while Rome became the head of this Apostasie and for above 1 thousand years past there hath been a continual contest betwixt a purer part of Christs Church scattered through divers Countries and this Mystical Babylon a certain number specified by one hundred forty four thousand Rev 14.1 have kept themselves pure from the whoredomes of Rome they were Virgins and followed the Lamb whithersoever he went and with them the Roman beast hath continually made war and still seeks to destroy them out of the earth now all that would be the faithful servants of Christ must joyn with this small persecuted company and neither comply with nor submit to Rome nor connive at her power and impositions as they would not be found guilty of her Apostasie and be swept away in her destruction To prove this because we speak to them who are already separated from Rome it will be sufficient to clear these 2 Questions which being cleared will also prove the duty of others to separate from her who yet either adhere to or lean towards her 1. Question whether there was a just ground for the Potestants to separate from the Church of Rome 2. Whether there can be any reconciliation of Protestants to Rome In which I shall be brief because a foundation is in a sort laid for it in the foregoing discourse 1. Qu. Whether Protestants did upon just and necessary grounds separate from the communion of the Church of Rome in her worship and discipline Answ They did which I thus prove 1. Because the Church of Rome hath altered the rule of the Christian faith The Church is a holy Common-wealth under the government of the Lord Jesus Christ and he governs it by his laws contained in the holy Scriptures these are the rule of their worship and obedience to him Math. 28.18 19 20. He that alters this rule altereth the fundamental constitution of the Church But the Church of Rome hath altered this rule they teach the Scriptures to be a defective insufficient rule and therefore they joyn to them the Apocryphal books of the Old Testament and the Traditions of the Church which also they receive and reject at their pleasure Decrees of Councils and decretals and decisions of Popes all these together are the perfect rule that the Papists acknowledge and pretend to I say pretend because the Scripture hath little share in it when it comes to Tryal hereby they have made a new foundation of the Church both of faith and practice For it is not sufficient that we believe and practise all that is in the Canonical Scriptures but we must believe and obey the Apocryphal writings and unwritten Traditions as of the same authority with the Bible thus the Council of Trent hath determined as was shewed before This altereth the very constitution of the Church and subjecteth it to men instead of Christ and this is the root of all apostasie 2. Because the Papists pretend their Pope or Church to be above the Scriptures and to put an authentick authority on them and their sense Thus all our faith and obedience is resolved into the determination of men That the Papists pretend the Pope their Council or Church to be above the Scriptures cannot be denied they give the authority and authentickness to the Scriptures 't is from their command that the Bible is received and if they pleased they might cause it to be laid aside it cannot be known they say that the Scriptures are Gods word but that
their Church declares it nor is any sense or meaning to be fixt upon as the certain sense of any Scripture but what they determine to be the meaning of the place Accordingly the Trent Council out of their great power have determined the vulgar Latin Translation of the Bible to be authentick and equal to the Greek and Hebrew originals Council of Trent Ses 4 though their own authors acknowledge it to be most false defective and in many things ridiculous Now then our faith is not ultimately resolved into the Scriptures we do not believe and obey because we know and are sure from Scripture that this is the mind of God but because the Pope or Church declare it to be the mind of God yea though the words of Scripture plainly condemn what they teach or though the Translation of a Scripture be contrary to the original which was indited by the spirit of God immediately yet if they say this is the meaning of the place and the true translation of it we must believe it The foundation then of all our faith and obedience is the determination of the Church or Pope Obj. But they are infallible they say Answ This they can never prove but if they were if I must believe meerly upon their Testimony and saying they are infallible my faith is still resolved into the witness of men their testimony concerning themselves is but a humane Testimony they do not cannot prove it by any divine infallible proof therefore my faith and obedience must ultimately pesolve into humane authority The Apostles were infallible yet had not they dominion over the faith of the Church 2 Cor. 12.24 to command what should be believed and practised but they proved by infallible and divine Testimony of miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost that what they taught came from God and so the belief of the people was built upon the Testimony of God to the Apostles doctrine 1. Cor. 2.4 5. the Apostle saith his preaching was in demonstration of the spirit and of power That their faith might not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God If their faith had been grounded upon the Apostles own Testimony of his self that he was infallible and upon his determination concerning any Scripture or doctrine out of his own wisdom though he had seemed to prove it strangely their faith had stood upon the authoty wisdom of man but therefore their faith was built on God because his spirit did powerfully demonstrate what the Apostle preacht to be from God therefore unless the Papists can prove their infallibility by miracles and demonstration of the spirit theirs is but a humane Testimony and so we know it is and a false one too and therefore it is an intolerable abuse to take the Church off from faith and obedience to Christ as the head commanding and ruling her and from the holy Spirit as inditing and confirming the holy Scriptures and to subject her to the authority and determinations of fallible and sometimes most wicked men To let pass that the Papists themselves not being agreed who is the infallible supreme judge whether the Pope Council or the whole Church no man of them hath any sure foundation for his Faith If they say the Scripture declares who is the supreme infallible Judge I answer that Judge must again tell us what is the meaning of that Scripture The Pope saith it means him the Council and Church say it means them here are three pretenders to supreme and infallible authority and to interpret the Scripture which soever a man adheres to it is two to one but he is mistaken however here is no way to determine who is the infallible Judge unless there be infallible marks and Testimonies of it given by God and then they are of the supreme authority and neither Pope Council nor Church themselves but such they can never produce Thus the whole matter is but an inconsistent juggle to bring the Church into subjection to the Pope 3. Because the Church of Rome takes away the Scriptures from the people yea and alloweth the Clergy themselves the use of the corrupt vulgar Translation of the Bible only Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God Rom. 10.14 How then shall the people get Faith or grow in it when they must not have the Scriptures to read themselves nor have them read to them by their teachers but in an unknown tongue and that Translation so corrupt also that if any of them should understand Latin they would yet have much difficulty to find the truth The Scriptures are Christs Law whereby he governs his Church and the peoples Magna Charta the Charter of all their priviledges and of all Gods promises spiritual and temporal to take this from them is to deprive them both of the rule of their obedience and of the foundation of all their faith and hope in God This is not to be endured upon any pretence whatsoever 4. Because they impose the celebration of Gods worship in an unknown tongue the Papists celebrate their prayers Sacraments and singing of Psalms all in Latin which as they know the people understand not so they would not have them understand it by this means the people are deprived of all true worship For worship is the reverence and affection of the soul to God either in ascribing honour to him or desiring of him and trusting in him for whatever we need This it is impossible man should give to God in and by those words and expressions which he understandeth not which for what he knows may blaspheme God or beg a curse instead of a blessing which as managed by illiterate Priests oftentimes are nonsense and signifie nothing and sometimes contrary to sound Doctrine yea may at all times for what the people know be directed to an Idol or a Devil instead of God For preaching of the word the Papists pretend but little to it And thus the Roman Church is a Church of Christ which acknowledgeth not him for her head and Governour nor his word for her rule and Law nor his worship for her practice but sabjecteth her self to a wicked man under the name of Christs Vicar taketh his will for her Law and his institutions for her worship without Question and without understanding This is an abuse Jot to be tolerated 5. The Idolary that the Papists impose on the Church the Apostle is express You cannot partake of the Table of the Lord and the Table of Devils the Cup of the Lord and the cup of Devils 1 Cor. wor-10 20 21. and these Devils he saith are shipped in Idols by Idolaters with whom therefore we must have no communion now the greatest part of the Papists worship consists in the worship and invocation of Saints Angels and the Virgin Mary and their waser-God which they practise upon the very same grounds on which the Heathens worshipt their Idols and therefore are Idolaters as well as the
obtain it The Molinists and Jansenists contend as earnestly about free-will and effectual grace Clement 8. was intreated to decide the controversie He appointed men to consider of it but when they had had fourscore meetings and disputations about it under Clement 8. and 1 Paul 5. the business was fairly laid aside and no determination made Innocent the 10. being desired to determine the matter of the five propositions relating to the same doctrine of the Jansenists first honestly told them that he never studied Dinity in his life and he was now too old to begin The Jesuites at last having prevailed with him to condemn those propositions without reason why or any explication in what manner or sense he condemned them he afterwards told the Jannists that defended these propositions as one of themselves that he had not condemned the doctrine of St. Augustine which they maintained Sanct. amor Journal and so left the two parties at as great strife as before what doctrine it was which was condemned and which was approved by the Pope 3. They take away the Scriptures from the people meerly to keep them in ignorance that they may guide and govern them the better at their own pleasure What if some be gluttons and surfeit Must therefore all men be deprived of their necessary meat and drink God gave his Law that men might know how to fear and serve him but the Pope pretends they may serve God better without knowledge Why do they not try what effect the reading of the Scriptures will have upon people Are not their Clergy and Scholars as likely to abuse the Scriptures to pervert them to fall into errors and defend them by Scripture as the common people But they punish it with death in the people to have the Bible or any part of it in their own tongue and teach that implicite faith is better than explicite and ignorance than knowledge for the common people yea they labour to bring the people into an ill opinion and suspicion of the Scriptures telling them they are obscure and cannot be understood they have many sences and like a nose of wax may be turned many ways therefore they cannot find the right meaning yea imperfect and cannot teach them all they are to know and do as necessary to Salvation Besides the Council of Trent authorizeth only the vulgar Latin edition of the Bible for authentick Ses 4. by which all things must be tried though their own men acknowledge that Translation to be most corrupt and false and one of them saith Isio dorus Clarius he in his edition had mended eight thousand faults so that they would allow even their Clergy as little knowledge as they can 4. They give the people images and the Host to worship to take them off from the spiritural knowledge and worship of Jesus Christ to make them content without the Bible to bring them into an admiration of the Saints that they only make and canonize to lead them into all superstition for the gain of the Pope and his Clergy for what may they not do with the people when they have perswaded them to take a bit of bread for their God to offer their prayers to stocks and stones instead of their maker or to think that he is pleased when they do so When people will take their Mediators and intercessors with God of the Popes appointment and suffer themselves to be cheated of the knowledge of their Redeemer when they will content themselves with offering incense tapers Latin prayers and the like as their sacrifices to God which He never commanded and they understand not and be taken off from hearing Gods word and from praying with understanding when they have brought the people to such a pass they may command them what they please and this is all they aim at to have them take their religion wholly from the Pope not from the Scriptures that so they may be perfectly subject to his will 5. Their practices of mortification are only to encrease the authority of their Church and Clergy therefore they must confess to a Priest and have his absolution that every one may be obliged to have his confessour and hereby the Priests both get mony and also know the tempers inclinations and secrets of all the people and so can teach and use them for their own purposes those that are devout they lay great penances on them that by the shew of strictness and holiness they may allure the simple if they be vitiously inclined they grant them easie pardon and give them great liberty lest they should fright them from their communion and that they may increase their hatred against the Protestants that pretend to more strictness The Priests from Confessions pick all instruments for their several purposes some women for Nuns and some for Harlots some men for Scholars some for a snow of strictness some to debauch others and some to murder Princes and overturn Kingdoms their penances serve only to inslave men to the Priests their fasts are but mockeries seeing men may eat any thing but flesh and that which comes immediately of it as freely as they will yet this teaches them obedience to the Church that they should do as she commands hence Bellarmin makes two sorts of fasts Jejunium virtutis Jejunium Ecclesiae A Fast of devotion and a fast of the Church which is observed only because she prescribes it and such are most of theirs Their pilgrimages bring great gain to those that keep the Shrines they come to visite their whippings and austerities are to cheat their own Consciences and other men with a show of mortification when all the world knows they that make light of fornication allow slews dispense with vows and marriages at pleasure and can forgive any sins for money do neither teach nor practise real mortification 6. Their humble subjection to their superiours which they call Blind obedience Caecam obedientiam is a manifest trick to bring the people into absolute subjection to their Clergy and the Clergy to the Pope upon this pretence the Friars and Jesuites daily send their Emissaries to murder Kings to divide Nations to spread Heresies to take upon them all manner of disguises to take any Oaths or protestations to carry on their designs they teach men to doubt of their Salvation while they live that they may still depend upon the Priest to confess and be absolved that they may be still under his command and correction in appointing new superstitions and penances and therefore do they teach Purgatory after their death that the Pope and his Priests may still keep them in their power and get money for Masses prayers and Canonizations 7. They forbid their Clergy to marry not from zeal for holiness and purity seeing they allow them fornication but that having no families to care for nor any interest of their own in the world the Popes interest may become theirs and their only care may be to advance
the pretence of Religion and the name of spiritual of which the Pope is the head his Cardinals Princes all his Priests and Clergy officers and Factors for him to hold the Consciences of men in subjection to him and to keep Princes and their Kingdoms in homage and tributary to his Coffers By all these things it appears that the Papists have quite altered both the foundation and superstructure of the Church of God and the government of his house and retained little more than the name of Christ his Church and Gospel and therefore it was necessary they should withdraw from them who had any care of the honour of God or their own salvation Obj. The Papists Object that the Protestants acknowledge the Church of Rome to be a true Church and therefore not to be separated from Answ 1. Suppose it were a true Church are not other true Churches also What obligation lyeth upon all Churches to be members of subject to the Church of Rome more than on the Church of Rome it self to be a member of any other true Church surely none from the notion of a true Church seeing all Churches of Christ that are true are at least equal with her in this attribute If they say that the Church of Rome hath the Primacy of all Churches and dominion over them from Peter the head of the Church this is but to beg what they can never prove that Peter had the headship of the Church committed to him and his successors and which is denyed of their own Council of Constance Sess 15. 2. Because the Church of Rome doth retain the profession of Christanity the general creeed and the holy Scriptures however they deviate from them in their expositions and practice therefore the Protestants dare not deny it absolutely to be a Church of Christ but that he may be still striving with it and may have many in it who may keep themselves from the great corruptions of it even as the 7000. in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal and so she may continue a Church in this sense and in this State till her finall rejection and destruction nevertheless they unanimously agree that she is an Idolatrous Apostatical Church under great and fatal corruptions though she hath not quite forsaken the name of Christ or he utterly forsaken her as the ten Tribes under Jeroboam became idolatrous and Apostatical and are said to have worshipped Devils in worshipping the Calves though they pretended them to represent Jehovah 2 Chron. 11.15 and when they were in this state of backsliding all the people as well as the Priests and Levites that did set their hearts to seek the Lord God of their fathers forsook them and went to Jerusalem to sacrifice and joyned themselves to Judah 2 Chron. 11.13.17.16 and in the time of his successours those that were upright and had opportunity did still resort to Jerusalem to worship whence the Idolatrous Priests are complained of for laying wait and Nets for them in Mispah and Tabor and this they did notwithstanding that God did still contend with Israel by his Prophets and sent many eminent ones to them as Elijah Elisha Hosea Jonah with many others to call them back again to himself to continue to warn and invite them to repentance even untill their dispersion and captivity 2. A 2. Question is whether there may be any reconciliation of Potestants to or with the Church of Rome And here I must distinguish betwixt particular persons members of that Church and the body of the Church it self There are many particular persons in the Popish Communion that be wail their corruption that complain of their bondage and are moderate toward Protestants for these we may have charity respect and compassion but to the Church of Rome the general communion and society of Papists under the Pope the ir head there may be nocommunion or reconciliation 1. Because they have redressed none of their errors and corruptions for which the Protestants at first forsook them If our first separation from Rome was just and necessary so it is still for they have not mended or redressed any of the grounds of our separation but on the contrary when they were intreated and in a sort compelled to call the Council of Trent to compose matters besides the many unworthy arts they used to have men chosen to their mind and of their own party they did severally confirm every error in doctrine and corruption in worship which the Protestants accused them of and Anathematized all that held the doctrine of the Protestants and as if this were not enough their Priests are all to be sworn to maintain this Council and a Catechism was ordered to be composed out of it to be the standard of the Doctrine of that Church which was done accordingly 2. As they have not so they cannot mend or alter any thing considerable The constitution of the Roman Papal Church depends on the corruptions they maintain and practise Should their Clergy marry they would not be at the Popes command should they lay aside private Masses image worship and Purgatory their Priests would lose a great part of their maintenance and the Pope a great jewel in his Crown viz. the power of canonizing Saints and freeing souls from Purgatory and if the people should have the Scriptures and publick service in their own tongue they would quickly discern the corruptions of their Church and impostures of their Pope above all should they alter any thing of moment decreed by the Council of Trent which was also confirmed by Pope Pius the 4th it would shake the foundation of the Church the Popes infallibility for either the Council and Pope Pius erred in their decrees or that Pope must err who alters any thing of those decrees hence it was that the Pope and Council of Trent would not yield so much as the cup in the Lords supper to the Laity at any time or in any case though greatly importuned to do it by the Emperor Ferdinand the 1. and his son Maximilian 3. The Church of Rome is the body of Antichrist or man of sin she hath made him her head and hath espoused her self to him as her Lord the whole religion of Popery is fitted only to exalt the Pope and his Clegy and cheat the people both of the knowledge of God and of their money To unite with Rome is to joyn our selves with a company of Rebels and fugitives from Christ that have conspired against him and set them up another King and Lord. 4. Rome haht of long time and doth maintain an opposition against the Churches of Christ She contends for the universal headship of the Pope she decreeth and compasseth as far as she can the destruction of all Hereticks i. e. of all that will not submit to her corruptions for about 900 years together and still attempts the same To joyn with Rome is to condemn all the Confessors and Martyrs that have suffered by them and to bring the guilt of their blood upon our selves as our Saviour saith Math. 23.35 all the righteous blood that was shed upon the earth from Abel to Zacharias should be required of that generation because they persisted in the footsteps of their fathers and were of the same body and succession with them that shed that blood 5. Rome is appointed for destruction That State or Polity that City and people are appointed by our Lord Jesus Christ to be utterly destroyed as in the 17 18 19. of the Rev. at large and their destruction is not threatned conditionally in case they repent not as it is to other Nations but it is absolutely foretold as of a people abhorred of the Lord forsaken and given over by him because they forsook him first Christ hath declared war against Rome which he will pursue till he hath conquered her and triumphed over her therefore there may not be that desire or attempt of union with her as with other backsliding Churches Gods people are called to come out of Babylon upon pain of their destruction therefore are not to make peace with her Who would joyn with a perishing Church with a Party devoted to destruction and with a perishing religion whereas Christ will have a Church pure and triumphant which shall survive and triumph over Babylon Rev. 19.1 c. FINIS