The Papists Reasons of State and Religion, Reason of religion 20 – Reason of religion 21
Reaſon of Religion. 20 20. REASON OF RELIGION.
A Religion▪ that teacheth(a)They ſpeak by contraries. … They make moſt of theſe Scriptures. notaMat. 7.13. the broad & large but the narrow and ſtraite way, (ſuch as holy writ affirmeth the way to heavē to be) as annuallbJoh. 20 23. confeſſiō to a PrieſtcPſalm. 6.7. Matth. 3.2. and 11.21. Mark. 1.15. Luk 13 3. 2. Cor. 12 21. Act. 1 38. and 26 20. pennance,dLevit. 5.16. Luk 19.8. reſtitution,eEzech. 8.30. Joel 2.12. Matth. 3.8. Luk. 3.8. 1. Cor. 11.32. ſatisfactiō, preſcript faſting daies, ſet times of abſtinence,fLevit. 23.21. Pſalm. 75.12. Eccleſ. 5.3. 1. Tim. 5.12. ſpeak what they pleaſe. perfourmance ofvowes,gEpheſ 4.5. one vniforme ſtinte of faith,hRom. 8.13. Coloſ. 3.5. mortification of the old man, and the like Iniunctions, neither(b)An evidens ſlander. obſerved nor impo…ed by other Religions, but rather liberty in their ſteed, & yet all of them directly and plainly(c)A flat vntruth. preſcri…ed in holy Scripture, except only the appointment of preſcript time for confeſſiō, faſting and abſtinence, a power and prerogatiue, left to the wiſdome & ordering o… the Catholike Church of whoſe(d)So far forth as they t…ath out of the word of God, they are to be obeyed. Prelats our Saviour himſelfe ſaith,iLuke 10.16. Fee that heareth you, heareth me, and he that deſpiſeth you, deſpiſeth me. Which authority alſo was given to the Biſhips of the old Law, and of conſequence more to the chiefe Prelates of the new(e)They make the Goſpell, a new law. Law▪ He that ſhall vvaxe prowde, refuſing to obey the commaundement of the Prieſt, ſhall die by the decree of the Judge. Deut. 17.12.
Reſolution of the 20. Reaſon.
Popiſh Religion teacheth annual confeſſion to a Prieſt, pennance, reſtitution, ſatiſfaction, preſcript faſting dates, ſet times of abſtinence, performāce of vows, one vniforme ſtint of faith, mortification of the old man.
Ergo:
Popiſh Religion is true, and to be tolerated.
ANSWERE.
I. To the Antecedent.
1 POpiſh auriculer Confeſſion, is no where grounded vponupon the Scriptures. That place of Ioh. 20.23. Whoſe ſins ye remit they are remitted vntounto them, &c. is nothing at al vntounto this purpoſe. For their ſinnes may be remitted vntounto the penitent, who acknowledge themſelues ſinners: and retained vntounto the vnpenitent, who refuſe to repent.
2 Popiſh pennance we improue, becauſe it containeth manifold errours and blaſphemies againſt the Goſpell of Ieſus Chriſt. 1. They ſay it is a ſacrament. 2. By the efficacy of it, the blood of Chriſt waſheth away our ſins. 3. It is not regeneration, but an healing of a man regenerated. 4. It pardoneth ſin. Catech. Rom. pag. 419. & 424. Tho. 4. diſt. 14 q 5. art. 1. But godly ſorrow for ſinne we hould neceſſary vntounto ſalvation, we practiſe and teach.
3 Reſtitution of goods wrongfully gotten wee teach & practiſe: wheras i…deed the Popiſh religion hath ſūdry waies to hinder actual reſtitution; wherof the principal & chiefeſt, is the Popes diſpenſation & pardon, which even in this caſe, as is notoriouſly knowne, is granted.
4 Satisfaction either civil & politique, that is a recō pence for iniuries and damages offered any way to our neighbours: or Canonical & Eccleſiaſtical, which is done vntounto the Church & Cōgregation by open offendors teſtifying their repētance, our religion teacheth & embraceth. But Popiſh ſatisfactiō wherby they ſatifie the iuſtice of God, for the temporall puniſhment of their ſinnes, our religion abhorreth & deteſteth, as a prophanation of the whole Goſpell, eſpecially of the ſatisfaction of Chriſt.
5 Preſcript faſting daies & ſet times of abſtinence, the Papiſtes borrowed of Montanus the Heretike, as we hauehave declared before. But a religious faſt, that is, when a man, wanting ſome bleſſing or ſeeing ſome eminent calamity, abſtaineth, not from fleſh for a ſeaſon, but alſo from al delights & ſuſtenance, that therby he may make a more diligent ſearch into his owne ſinnes, and offer moſt humble praiers vntounto God &c. our religiō teacheth, & we practiſe.
6 Vowes made vntounto GOD, of things honeſt, lawful & poſſible, our religion teacheth ought to be performed. But Popiſh vowes of Pilgrimages, of offring to Idols, of perpetual ſingle life, of Mōkerie; our religion accōpteth not honeſt nor lawful, but made vntounto the Devill and exſecrable.
7 One vniforme ſtint of faith cōtained only in the holy Scriptures we teach; but the cōtradictions & diſſentiōs of the Papiſts are innumerable, as we have proved before.
8 Mortificatiō, that is, that part of ſanct…ficatiō, wherby the power of ſinne is crucified in the faithfull Rom. 6.2.3.4. Galat. 5.24. we religiouſly teach. But Popiſh externall maceratings we condemne.
II. To the Conſequence.
The Argument is rather thus to be concluded.
Popiſh religiō teacheth auricular cōfeſſion to a Prieſt, perverteth the doctrine of repentance, reſtitution, ſatisfaction, faſting, vowes, the ſufficiency of the Scriptures, and mortification.
Ergo.
Popiſh religion is the. Apoſtolicall religion of Antichriſt.
Reaſon of Religion. 21 21. REASON OF RELIGION.
A Religion, for whoſe deſence, the Title of Defender of the Faith, vvas firſt given to the Kings of our Nation; the Title of Moſt Chriſtian, to the kings of France, of Moſt Catholike to the kings of Spaine: the ſtill retaining of which Titles dothaI marvel how the Suppliants are not aſhamed, to deduce a conſequēce, the falſchood wherof is notoriouſly evident. argue the allowance of her iuriſdiction. And there isbNo one of the ancient Fathers did ever expound that place of the Popiſh Church. no one of the ancient Fathers, who doth not vnderſtand theſe words of the Prophet, to be only meant of this Church, The Natiō and Kingdome that will not ſerue thee, ſhall periſh. Eſa. 6.12.
Reſolution of the 21. Reaſon.
Popiſh Religion, is that for whoſe defence the King of England was called Defender of the faith, the K. of France Moſt Chriſtian; and the K. of Spaine, Moſt Catholique.
Ergo:
Poperie is true Religion, and to be tolerated.
ANSWERE.
1 WHat coherence is there between the Antecedēt and the Conſequence?
When the Pope gaue vntounto the King of England the title. Defēder of the faith; as Caiphas prophecied againſt him ſelfe: ſo the Pope prophecied his own deſtructiō. For even that King, which hee ſo firſt called, King Henry VIII. of famous memory, was the firſt King in all Europe, that cut his combe & Defended the faith indeed, which all his noble Succeſſours hauehave with ſingular conſtancy hitherto continued, GOD bee praiſed, excepting only Queene Marie, whoſe raigne was but fiue yeares.