The Papists Reasons of State and Religion, Reason of religion 17 – Reason of religion 19
Reaſon of Religion. 17 17. REASON OF RELIGION.
A religion, whoſe refuſe and revolted Prieſtes are deemed lawful andaManifest vntruth. …ufficiēt…y ordered to preach the word of God, to miniſter Sacraments, & to exerciſe all ſpirituall iuriſdiction in the Proteſtant & Pu…ane Congregation. A proofe, which ſeemeth vnanſwerable, thatbThey argue ex non conceſſis. our Church is the true Church: for were her doctrine falſe, ſhe teaching in many points as ſhee doth, it muſt needes follow, that ſhe iscThis we grant the ſynagogue, if not the arch-ſynagogue of Sathā, & conſequētly, he hath, not can poſſibly hauehave (God & the divell being ſo contrary)dPopiſh Prieſts are no lawfull Miniſters in the true church. auctority, to initiate & make lawfull & compleate Miniſters, for exerciſing ſpirituall faculties in the true Church. Neither is the Proteſtant Miniſter or Biſhop comming to our Catholike fraternity (as many come of the firſt ſorte) reputed other then for meereeCertainely hee that denieth & falleth away fro the faith of Ieſus Chriſt, is v… worthie to bee a Miniſter of his Goſpell. lay-mē without orders.
Reſolution of the 17. Reaſon.
Popiſh religion is that, whoſe refuſe and revolted Prieſtes are deemed lawfull & ſufficiently ordeined, to preach the vvord of GOD, to miniſter the Sacraments, and to exerciſe all ſpirituall iuriſdiction the Proteſtant Congregation.
Ergo.
Popiſh religion is vndoubtedly true religion, and conſequently to be tolerated.
ANSWERE.
I To the Antecedent.
1 WE hould Popiſh Prieſts accurſed, becauſe their Prieſt-hood is not of GOD. But, if in obedience to the divine cōmandement, Apoc. 18.4. they come out of Babylon, forſake Antichriſt, renoūce their errours, & ioyne thēſelves vntounto the true Church of Chriſt: if thē they have ſufficient giftes, & are willing to exerciſe that function, or if otherwiſe the Church hath neede of their helpe that way; they may & ought to be received, as Miniſters of Ieſus Chriſt.
2 Neither is it any greaſing, or ſhaving, which they received in the Popiſh ſynagogue, that makes them to be Miniſters in deede (the Popiſh ordination being nothing elſe, but meere prophanation) but (they having fit gifts, and other neceſſarie circumſtances concurring) their being acknowledged to be true Paſtours and Miniſters, by the whole Church, the Magiſtrate and People.
3 There is no true Eccleſiaſtical vocation in the Papacy; becauſe they have remaining in their Church, no appearance of ſuch things as by the word of GOD, are required for the conſtitution of a lawfull vocation. They have no Election; no examination of doctrine; no approbation of manners; nor conſent of the Church. But let vsus examine their owne Canons.
4 If they which come vntounto their Biſhoprikes, either by money, or by the favour of Princes, be not Biſhops indeed, and have no right of inſtituting other Biſhops, or ordaining Prieſtes; as the ancient Canons expreſly teſtifie, Can. Apoſt. 29. & 30. Cōcil. Chalcedon, Can. 2. If a Biſhop cannot be elected but by a Synode, and if the election of him that is otherwiſe elected be meerely voide & no election at all, as was decreed in the Councell of Antioch. If they who ſell or buy their Orders, bee no Prieſtes, as the Councel of Baſil concluded; thē what one Biſhop or Prieſt is there in the Popiſh Church that hath a lawfull calling.
5 Briefly in few wordes: Popiſh PRIESTES,Note well. are no more the Miniſters of the Goſpell of Ieſus Chriſt: then were the Prieſtes of Bacchus, or any other idolatrous Sacrificer among the heathen Gentiles.
II To the Conſequence.
1 The Conſequence hath no coherence with the Antecedent: for it doth not follow; that, becauſe Popiſh Prieſtes acknowledging their hereſie and confeſſing the Goſpell of Ieſus Chriſt (being every way fit for the Miniſtrie) by the approbatiō of whō it appertaineth vntounto, are received as Miniſters amongſt vsus, therfore Popery is true religiō: ſeeing they preſume to do nothing, by that auctoritie whereby they were ordained in Popery, but (for all their orders) take themſelues for meere lay-men.
2 The Argument is thus rather concluded, Popiſhe Prieſtes, being in themſelues execrable, if they renounce Antichriſt, and turne vntounto the Lord, by the approbation of the church, are lawfull Miniſters of the Goſpell. Ergo; Popiſh religion which ordained ſuch Prieſts is execrable; and the religion of Proteſtants, whereof after their converſion they are lawful Miniſters, is the true religion and faith of Ieſus Chriſt.
Reaſon of Religion. 18 18. REASON OF RELIGION.
A Religion, to whoſe antiquity and veritie of moſt part of her doctrine controverſed, the faſhion of every Church, Chappell, and Chancell, the records of every Hoſpitall Colledge, andPopiſh Religion is no ancienter then the Abbres & Cloiſters of Friers and Nunnes. Anbey decared, yea, every ancient ſepulched, church-window & graue-ſtone, do bring & giuegive apparant evidence, as thing: al wearing her badges and conteſtoying her elder childrens faith, devotion and piety.
Reſolution of the 18. Reaſon.
Popiſh Religion is that to whoſe antiquity and verity the faſhion of every Church, Chappell, and Chancell; the records of every Hoſpital, Colledge, & Abbey, the ancient Sepulchers, church windowes and graue-ſtones do giuegive apparant evidence.
Ergo:
Popery is true Religion, and to be tolerated.
ANSWERE.
I. To the Antecedent.
1 THe Pagan religion is ſuch, to whoſe antiquity the Temples, Arches, Pyramides and all ſortes of ancient monuments, do bere record. And will the Suppliants by this argument confirme the verity of Paganiſme, as they doe of Poperie?
2 The monuments and records, which the Suppliants alleadge, declare only that Popery is auncient, which wee will grant them; for Antichriſts raigne was ancient, and very ample: he beganne to worke in the Apoſtles time. 2. Theſſ. 2.
3 Chriſt ſaith vntounto his diſciples, ſpeaking of the Scribes and Pharaſies falſe gloſſes & doctrine, Mat. 5.21. It hath bin ſaid of olde; & Mat. 19 8 But from the beginning it was not ſo. So ſay we of Popiſh religion: Popery is old; but frō the beginning it was not ſo.
4 The Papiſtes, are like vntounto the Gibeonites; who by their old ſacks, old bottles, old ſhoes, old rayment, dry and mouldie bread, Ioſh. 9.4.5.6. pretēded they came from a far country, whereas they were the next neighbours. So the Papiſtes by their old Churches, old Chappels, old Chancels, olde records, old hoſpitals, old Colledges, old Abbeyes, ancient ſepulchers, ancient Church-windowes, and ancient graue-ſtones, pretend antiquity, whereas in deede they are hatched ſince the time of the Primitiue Church.
II To the Conſequence.
As the Heathen Gentiles, for all their ancient records and monuments, were not therfore the Church of God; nor their religiō, vntounto whoſe antiquity thoſe monuments gaue evidence, true Religion: So neither are the Papiſts, for all their ſhew of antiquity, the true Church, nor their religion, true Religion.
Reaſon of Religion. 19 19. REASON OF RELIGION.
A Religion, whoſe grounds and foundation are ſo rocky and ſure, and the propies and teſtimonies alike infinite, ample, ab…ūdant, and vnanſwerable, a the Proteſtant himſelfe aſſay Ied by the Puritane and other facts, knowes not how to defend poſitions encountred, but by fl…ng to the ſtrengths & impregnable argumentes of the Catholike Romane Church and her Doctors.A notorious lie.
Reſolution of the 19. Reaſon.
Popiſh Religion, is that, whoſe grounds are ſo ſure, as the Proteſtant aſſailed by the Puritane knowes not how to defende himſelfe, but by flying vntounto the impregnable arguments of the Popiſh Church and Doctors.
Ergo:
Popery is true Religion, and to be tolerated.
ANSWERE.
I. To the Antecedent.
1 THe Antecedent is a begging of the queſtion. It is not true that the Proteſtants do vſe Popiſh Arguments againſt the Puritanes.
2 The only foundation and grounde of Popiſh Arguments, is the determination of the preſent Pope, who is the only determiner, iudge, and decider of all religion & controverſies amongſt Papiſts; which the Proteſtants deteſt, and condemne to the pit of hell.
3 As for the Doctors of the Popiſh Church, D. Thomas Stapleton, D. Richard Briflow, D. Robert Bellarmine, &c. We condemne them as Heretiques and giddy fellowes. If the Suppliants meane not theſe Doctors; they ſhoulde hauehave nominated others: that we might diſcerne, whether they were Popiſh Doctors, or no.
II To the Conſequence.
If the Proteſtants did vſe Popiſh arguments, yet were that no confirmation of Popery. For it is not the Proteſtants vſing of arguments, that can make them true and impregnable, but conformity with the Scriptures, with the force and rule of reaſon.