The Papists Reasons of State and Religion, Reason of religion 22 – Reason of religion 25
Reaſon of Religion. 22 22. REASON OF RELIGION.
A Religion, into whoſe ſociety and profeſſion, whoſoeuer truely entreth, by and by liveth inaStil they ſpeak by contraries, as appeareth in the Anſwere. more awe of God, and feare of ſinne, & changeth his former life to the better: and of the other ſide, whoſoever leav…th ou…, and departeth from he… fellowſh…p & communion, beginneth incontment to lead a worſe li…e, then whiles he liued her childe, & frequented her Sacraments. Of both which there be ſtore of examples, and of the latter too many, verifying what is ſaid, and not vnknowne to thouſands, yea, the caſe is ſo fain liar, as it is now growne into a Proverb with many:bA new coyned Proverb, which is to be vnderſtood contrarywiſe. That the Proteſtant Religion is good to liue in, but the Papiſt religion good to die in.
Reſolution of the 22. Reaſon.
Popiſh Religion is that into whoſe profeſſion, whoſoever truely entereth, by and by liveth in more awe of God, and feare of ſinne, and changeth his former life to better.
Ergo:
Popiſh Religion is true, and to be tolerated.
ANSWERE.
1 THe Antecedent is moſt falſe. For Popiſh Religion is the Policie of Satan, yea the very chaines and fetters of the Divell, to detaine men as ſlaues in the miſery & thraledome of ſinne. And that the Chriſtian Reader may know that I do not vſe any hyperbolicall ſpeeches herein; I beſeech him, in the bowels of our Saviour IESVS CHRIST ſeriouſly to waygh theſe things that follow.
2 What could be fitter for Satan, for the continuance and enlargement of his Kingdome; then the Popiſh doctrin of the Popes ſupremacie over al, of his fulneſſe of power, of receiving both the Scriptures and their expoſition from him, of obeying that he cōmanded, of not iudging him though hee carryed ten thouſand yea innumerable Soules togither with him ſelfe into HEL, Diſt. 40. c. 6. Si Papa, of devout ignorance, of iudging them heretiks who ſpeake againſt him, of purſuing and perſecuting them with fire & ſword, of purgatory, of auriculer confeſſion, of the immunities, exemptiō and priviledges of his Cleargy, of the pompe and idlenes of his hierarchie, and of all their ſuttle and ſerpent-like contrived falſe worſhip?
3 The practiſes of Egypt toyling Iſrael with al baſe ſervice and villanie, & of killing their male childrē: or of the barbarous tyranny of waſting the weſt Indies, was not, nor is not more ſuttly & divelliſhly deviſed, to detaine thoſe free nations in perpetual bondage & ſlavery; then the Popiſh doctrine was, & is, to eſtabliſh the kingdome of Antichriſt, and to detaine the people of God in everlaſting ſervitude and ſlauerie, both of body and ſoule.
4 And as for Chriſtian honeſtie of life, & duties towards men; the Popiſh doctrine of Abſolutions, of Diſpenſations, of Pardons, of Satisfactions, & of Sanctuaries, is (for the impunity, & eaſie diſcharge of all malefactors) a maine cauſe and mother of al abominations and wickedneſſe.
5 Furthermore, their ſundrie rules & orders of hypocriſy, contention, & idlenes; their conſtrained abſtinence from marriage; their permiſſiō & defence of the Stewes, are cauſes of all enormities, of vncleanes, of infinite murders, & other manifold offences. So that the waters of Noahs floud, did not ſo high drowne all the olde world; as thoſe flouds of wickednes, which by ſuch occaſions have riſen, did and do ſtill overflow al ſuch kingdomes & nations, as this doctrine of theirs, like a ſea of ſinne, might breake into.
6 Hence it appeareth evidētly,Note. that if a man were aſſured of the ſalvation of his ſoule in Popery, ther is NO Religion BETTER to live in. For There is NO religion vnderunder heaven which cōtaineth greater licenciouſnes in it, nor giveth more liberty vntounto the fleſh, then doth POPISH RELIGION.
Reaſon of Religion. 23 23. REASON OF RELIGION.
A Religion, which now hath, and had in al ages, the moſt famous mē foraJupudent bragges. wit, learning, reading, iudgment, vertue & true piety (qualities, of all other, likelieſt to diſcerne and abandon error) to her Teachers & Doctors, & ever enioyed the like ſtore of ſuch lights, as our Oppoſitors had never reaſon to compare with, or if they do, the extant monumēts in ſchoole, poſitiue, & myſticall divinity, and in all other literature, will quickly ſhew the inequalitie and diſproportion of the compariſon.
Reſolution of the 23. Reaſon.
Popiſh religion hath now, and in all ages hath had, the moſt famous men for wit, learning, reading, iudgment, vertue & true pietie to her Teachers and Doctors.
Ergo.
Poperie is true religion, and ſo to be tolerated.
ANSWERE.
1 WHat other Anſwere ſhould I make, vntounto a bold, impudent, ſhameleſſe & falſe aſſertion without proofe, or ſhew of probability; but, Thou lyeſt, Satan.
2 I will not name any now-living, to avoide ſuſpition of flatterie: ONE Calvin, ONE Peter Martyr, ONE Melancthon, ONE Iuell, ONE Vrſine, ONE Zanchius, ONE Humfreyes, ONE Whitakers, ONE Iunius & ONE Perkins (to let infinite others paſſe) had more ſound learning, & infinitely more true pietie, then ALL the Popiſh Teachers and Doctors, that ever were, are, or ſhall bee, ever had, now have, or ever hereafter can hauehave.
Reaſon of Religion. 24 24 REASON OF RELIGION.
A religion, whoſe publike, andaPopiſh church ſervice is blaſphemie againſt GOD, and a mockerie of religion. Church ſervice is executed with that maieſtie, honorable grauity, and reverence, & the ſeverall parts, andbPopiſh Ceremonies are mens precepts, conemed by Chriſt. Mat. 15. ceremonies thereof ſo aptly and admirablie compoſed, & ordered for annuall commemoration, & repreſenting of our Saviours incarnation, birth, life, paſſion, buriall, reſurrection, aſcenſion, of the comming downe of the Holy Ghoſt, of the myſtery of the Trinitie, and of other paſſages, as well of Chriſt our head, as of his members the Saints, as it begetteth, feedeth, & reneweth ſingular devotion in the actors, & hearers, & is alſo ſo comfortable in hercThe comfors which the Popiſh Sacramēts afforde, is deceaveable, like vntounto the hungrit mans dreame. Eſa. 29.8. Sacramēts, eſpecially ſo eaſing, and acquieting ſoules in the Sacrament of penance, as no teſtimonie, or demonſtration vnderunder heaven, is, or can be, of like ſeeling prooſe for the reall goodnes & verity of that Sacrament, as is the ſupernaturall, ſweeteſt, & divine conſolation taſted therein, as is the Sacrament of the Euchariſt.
Reſolution of the 24. Reaſon.
Popiſh Religion, hath her church-ſervice executed with maieſtie, honorable gravity, and reverence, her Ceremonies admirable, and her Sacraments comfortable.
Ergo.
Popiſh religion is true, and to be tolerated.
ANSWERE.
I. To the Antecedent.
I THE Popiſh Church-ſervice is not Maieſticall, honorable, grave, and reverent, but blaſphemous and full of apiſh trickes and toyes.
I For the ſubſtance of it, it is full of idolatrous invocations of Angels and Saints.
II It is performed in an vnknowne tongue to the deriſion of GOD, and mockerie of religion, againſt the expreſſe words, letter, & ſenſe of the Scriptures. 1.Cor. 14.
III The theatricall attire and geſture; the skipping, friskes and gambols; the in conſtant murmuring, crying out, and whiſpering of the Prieſt; the bellowing, piping, and chanting; and the lighting of candels at noone-day, is not true maieſtie, gravity, & reverence; but manifeſt demonſtration of giddines, levitie, wantonnes and flat apoſtacie from true religion. For our Saviour ſaith Iohn 4.24. they that worſhippe GOD, muſt worſhip him in ſpirit and truth.
2 Popiſh Ceremonies are execrable, Chriſt ſaith, Mat. 15. 9. In vaine they worſhip me, teaching for doctrines, mens precepts.
3 If Popiſh Religion were true, it is moſt certaine that Popiſh Sacraments are very cōfortable. For the Papiſts teach that the Sacraments of the new Teſtament, do containe, do conferre of themſelues, and merite grace: that they iuſtifie, that they forgiue ſinnes & ſanctifie by the worke wroght, yea without any good motion, or diſpoſition of the receiver or vſer; that is, without faith. This cannot chooſe but be very comfortable; for be a man never ſo vile a villaine, bee he never ſo vngracious of ſo wicked, yet if he can bee made partaker of the Sacraments, according to their doctrine, he ſhall hauehave his ſinnes actually forgiven him, and be inſtantly iuſtified. But alas, this doctrine is not true, it hath no warrant out of the Scriptures, which reſtifie, that without faith it is impoſſible to pleaſe GOD. It is the deceaueable learning of Antichriſt, to detaine miſerable men captiues in his kingdome, and to make them ſlaues vntounto ſinne by committing it with boldnes, and to appeaſe the ſtinging thereof in their conſciences for a time.
II To the Conſequence.
The Antecedent being falſe, the Conſequence falleth of it ſelfe.
Reaſon of Religion. 25 25. REASON OF RELIGION.
A Religion whoſe ſecular and religious Cleargy liue without wiues, free from care of providing foraBut not for providing for bastards. children, & the later ſort no way diſtracted with the affaires and encombrances of the world, butbBut the Apoſtle ſaith that Pure religion and vndefiled before God, is to viſite the fatherleſse and widdowes in their adverſitie Jac. 1.27. encloiſtered, paſſe their whole time in praier, watching, faſting, in continuall ſtudy of ſcriptures, and in dayly exerciſe and diſpute for ful & perfect vnderſtanding of them: Helps that doe moſt further the attaining of truth, and ſuch as are notcAn impudent lie. ſound in the adverſe party, and which in common reaſon (Catholike Divines being not inferior to other Divines in wit, or other talents) ſhew, that our teachers (God being no acceptor of perſons) are more likely to hauehave (vſingdVutruth. fitter meanes for the ſame) theeNo Papiſt dares expound the Scriptures truely. See the Anſwere. true intelligence, and vnderſtanding of ſcripture, then are our adverſaries, or contradictors.
Reſolution of the 25. Reaſon.
Popiſh Religion, is that whoſe Cleargie liue without wiues, &c.
Ergo:
What will the Suppliants conclude? Popiſh Religion is the Doctrine of Divels.
ANSWERE.
1 I graunt both the Antecedent and the Conſequence. Their Popiſh Cleargy although they keepe ſtore of whoores and concubines, yet they hauehave no wiues: & their popiſh doctrine is indeed the doctrine of divels.
2 Their glory herein is to their ſhame; For the Apoſtle ſaith, 1. Tim. 4.1.2.3. Nowe the Spirite ſpeaketh evidently, that in the latter times ſome ſhall depart from the faith, and ſhall giuegive heed vntounto Spirits of errour & doctrine of divels; Which ſpeake lies through hypocriſie, and hauehave their conſciences burned with an hote…on: Forbidding to marrie, and commanding to abſtaine from meates, &c. Both theſe notes of the Apoſtatical Church, the Papiſts cannot by any ſhift depell from themſelues; ſo that out of this place, vvee may demonſtratiuely conclude, that the Popiſh Church is the Church of Antichriſt; as I hauehave declared at large, Lib. 1. de Antichr. cap 28.
3 A ſober and moderate care of providing for Children, is no hinderance to godlineſſe.
4 As for the helpes which the Papiſts bragge they hauehave, for vnderſtanding of the Scriptures: Whatſoever here they pretend, yet it is moſt certaine, that no Papiſt can poſſibly attaine vntounto the true ſenſe and meaning of the Scriptures.26. Reaſon of Religion. And if they ſhould vnderſtand them aright, yet is it not law ful for them to make that knowne to others.aMoſt falſe. For every Popiſh Prieſt is ſworne that he will never otherwiſe interpret the Scriptures, but according vntounto that ſenſe and meaning,bThe Suppliants bring Ambroſe, Hierome, Auſten, & Gregorie vponupon the ſtage, dumbe or iong-tied, if we will heare them ſpeake, we muſt attend vpō thē by their direction, at another time, yea and in other places thē they hauehave pointed vsus, or els we ſhall not heare thē ſpeake one word for the Papiſtes, either good or bad. This whole ſection containeth nothing but impudent lyes, and notorious falſification. which the moderne Popiſh church embraceth; as is expreſly laide downe in the forme of the oath preſcribed by the Councell of Trent. Bulla Pij IV. ſuper formaiurament. profeſſ. fides, in fin. Concil. Trident.