The Safe Way Leading All Christians, Section 17
Sect. 17. Our Aduerſaries common obiection, drawne from the charitable opinion of Proteſtans; touching the ſaluation of profeſſed Romaniſts liuing and dying in their Church, Anſwered.
I come to the laſt and greateſt wonder: The Romaniſts hauehave confeſſed, that their doctrine is different from the Ancient Church in many principall points of their faith, yet ſay they, there is no ſaluation to be had but in the Romane Church:Fieri nequit vt Lutheranus moriens ſaluetur. Coſter. reſp. ad refut. Oſiandr. propoſ. 8. No (ſaith Coſterus,) Fieri nequit, &c. It cannot be that any dying a Lutheran can be ſaued: No doubt there is a woman, a Church, a Cittie which reigneth ouer the Kings of the earth, which ſitteth on ſeuen Mountaines, which is drunke with the bloud of Saints and Martyrs, which hath multitudes, and Nations, and tongues at her command, and if this bee the Lutheran Church, or any of the Reformed Churches, queſtionleſſe there is damnation to be feared, for it was foretold; She aſcends out of the bottomeleſſe pit, Reuel. 17.and ſhall goe into perdition: but bleſſed be God, their markes cannot bee applied to our Church: wee hauehave no Biſhop that aſſumes a ſupremacie ouer Kings and Princes: Wee hauehave no Maſſacres of Saints & faithfull Chriſtians in our Kingdome: no, we hauehave no Citie built on ſeuen hills which is called the ſeuen hill'd Citie:foreign. we account not vniuerſalitie of nations and people, a marke of our Church, but we ſay it is a little flocke, and the number of Gods Elect are but few.
I will deſcend to the particular Tenets of both Churches, and in this I ſhall appeale to any moderate Romaniſt, whether they or we (for the faith profeſſed in their Church or ours) ſtand guilty of damnation.
Are we accurſed becauſe we diſclaime all merits in our beſt workes, and relie wholy vponupon the merits of Chriſt? Bleſſed are all they that put their truſt in him (not in their owne righteouſneſſe) ſaith the Prophet Dauid.Pſal. 2.12.
Are we accurſed, becauſe according to Chriſts inſtitution wee receiue the Sacrament in both kinds? He that eateth my fleſh and drinketh my bloud, Ioh. 6.hath life eternall ſaith our Sauiour.
Are we accurſed, becauſe we ſearch the Scriptures, we reade them to our Family, wee meditate on them day and night?Pſal. 1.2. Bleſſed are they whoſe delight is in the Law of the Lord, and in his Law will exerciſe himſelfe day & night (ſaith the Pſalmiſt.) Againe, looke vponupon the Tenets of the Romane Church, and let the Word of God bee Iudge betweene them and vsus, whether they or wee are in the more ſafe and bleſſed way.
Are they bleſſed that make diſtinction of meates & forbid marriage to Prieſts? Be not high minded, but feare: Forbidding of marriage and meates is the doctrine of Diuels.1 Tim. 4.
Are they bleſſed that adminiſter the Sacrament and Seruice in an vnknowne tongue?1 Cor. 14. It was a curſe at the building of Babel, for them that vnderſtood not what was ſpoken.In the Law it is written, with men of other tongues, and other lips, will I ſpeake vntounto this people, and ſo they ſhall not heare mee (ſaith the Apoſtle.)
Are they bleſſed, that contrarie to the Law of God giuegive adoration to Images? Confounded bee all they that worſhip carued Images ſaith the Prophet Dauid.Pſal. 97.7.
Are they bleſſed that giuegive adoration to Saints, & to the creatures of bread and wine:Rom. 1.28. They that worſhip the creature inſtead of the Creator, God giues them ouer to a reprobate mind; and they are accurſed.
Are they bleſſed that adde new Traditions to the Scriptures, and detract from Gods commandements & Chriſts Inſtitution in the Sacrament?Reuel. 22. Curſed be hee that addeth or detracteth from the least of theſe ſayings, ſaith the Euangeliſt. Are they bleſſed that create new Articles of faith, praeterquam or contra quā, beſides or contrary to the doctrine of the Scriptures?Gal. 1.8. If an Angel from heauen preach any other Goſpell then that you hauehave receiued, let him bee accurſed.
From theſe ſew inſtances, it may eaſilie appeare whether they are damned which beleeue and receiue that faith which was taught by Chriſt and his Apoſtles; or they bleſſed which obey the Trent-Fathers, and their doctrine which is condemned by the Apoſtles and Fathers of the Primitiue Church.
But obſerue the wiſedome and pollicie of theſe men, they know the ignorant people of their Church (& their ſpeciall care is to keepe all in ignorance) would be eaſily led by an implicit faith to beleeue the Church in all, if they were once poſſeſſed with ſome generall Rule, that they were in the ſafe and certine way of Saluatiō in their owne Church: and thereupon from the charitable opinion of well diſpoſed Proteſtants, they hauehave drawne this generall Concluſion: Wee ſee the Proteſtants, at leaſt many of them confeſſe there may be ſaluatiō in our Church, wee abſolutely deny there may be ſaluation in theirs, therefore it is ſafer to come to ours, then to ſtay in theirs, to bee where almoſt all grant ſaluation, then where the greateſt part of the world denie it. Surely it were great pittie that a charitable opinion on our part ſhould giuegive any Romaniſt occaſion, the rather to liue and die in the boſome of the Romane Church, whereas wee ſhould rather giuegive them a warning in the name of the Apoſtle:Reuel. 18.4. Come out of her my people, that you bee not partaker of her plagues: but it were more then ſhame for them to adiudge our religion, therefore the worſe, becauſe wee are more charitable: when wee ſay a Papiſt may be ſaued, it is meant onelyonly (as I conceiue) of thoſe who by an inuincible and compelled ignorance, reſigne vp their owne eye-ſight to looke through ſuch ſpectacles as their Prieſts and Paſtors hauehave tempered for them: theſe men ſo long as they hold faſt the true faith of Chriſt, according to the Articles of the Apoſtolique and Chriſtian beleefe, without oppoſitiō to any ground of Religion; and hauehave furthermore a minde and purpoſe to obey God, and keepe his commandements; according to that meaſure and knowledge of Grace which they hauehave receiued, and liue for outward things in the Vnitie of the Church where they dwell; ſuch men I ſay, otherwiſe morallie good, and relying wholy on the merits and ſole merciemercy of Chriſt Ieſus, that is, liuing Papiſts, and dying Proteſtāts in the principall foundation of our faith, may finde mercy becauſe they did it ignorantly: 1 Tim. 1.14.This is the beſt conſtruction charitie can afford them, and yet this is no certainty but a bare poſſibilitie: They may be ſaued.
I muſt confeſſe, I doe encline to the charitable opinion of eueryevery poore ignorant ſoule, for what hauehave I to doe to iudge another mans ſeruant, ſeeing hee ſtandeth or falleth to his owne Maſter? but I take God, and his holy Angels to witneſſe, that had I ten thouſand ſoules, I would not aduenture one of them in the Romane faith and the Romane Church, for howſoeuer I will not, I dare not pronounce damnation vponupon their perſons as they doe on ours, yet I will proclaime confidently and openly to all the world that their doctrine is damnable.
Farre be it from the thoughts of good men, to thinke the points in controuerſie betwixt them and vsus, are of an inferior alloy, that a man may reſolue this way or that way, without perill of hu ſaluation: The freſh bleeding wounds and ſufferings of holy men & bleſſed Martyrs in our church, doe ſufficientlie witnes the great danger in their Religion and the difference betwixt vsus; and that you may yet further know the beſt learned of our Church were farre from granting ſaluation to any Papiſt, liuing and dying a profeſſed Papiſt in the knowledge and beliefe of the preſent Romane faith, our Reuerend Whitakers ſends this ſummons to the great Champion of the Roman Church:Whit. & Cāp. Rat. 10. Suruey heauen it ſelfe and all the heauenly host, looke well into all the parts and coaſts of it whilest you liſt, you ſhall not finde there (vponupon my word) one Ieſuit, or one Papiſt, for none ſhall ſtand in Mount Sion with the Lambe, that hauehave receiued the marke of the Beaſt, or belong to Antichriſt.