The Protestant Religion Truly State and Justified, Part 31 – Part 36
The Three and Thirtieth accuſed Point.
That we ought not to beſeech God, to grant our prayers in favour of the Saints, or their Merits: Nor do we receive any benefit thereby.
Anſ. This is before anſwered to the 17th. Accuſation. I told you that we hold, that God bleſſeth Children for their Holy Parents ſakes, their Relation making the welfare of the one to be the others: And God bleſſed others for Joſephs ſake, and ſometimes preſerveth whole Countries for the ſake of the Godly there: And on what account, and how far, I will not again repeat.
And the Union and Communion of Saints in Heaven and Earth are ſo near, that I dare not ſay that God doth any good to any one faithful Soul, that is not in ſome reſpect for the ſake of all the reſt; as the Cure of an aking Tooth is for the ſake of all the Body: That is, 1. For the good of the whole. 2. And done out of love to the whole.
But this will not ſatisfie confounding Deceivers. No doubt it is dead Saints that he meaneth: And what he meaneth by Merits, I ſuppoſe he knoweth not himſelf; or elſe he would have told us: How far we own, or abhor the pretence of Merits, I ſhewed before. All Saints are ſaved by the full ſufficient Merits of Chriſt, and have none at all of their own, unleſs the amiableneſs of Grace freely given them be called their Merits, as a thankful Child more deſerveth his Fathers Love, (that is, is more Lovely) than a Rebel that ſcorneth him; and a piece of Gold deſerveth to be eſteemed above Dirt; and a Nightingale above a Toad. Yea their own Jeſuit Vaſquez, not only denieth all Merit of God in Commutative Juſtice, (as all ſave Romans and a few ſuch Sots do,) but alſo in point of diſtributive Juſtice, by which he ſeemeth to deny Merit more than Proteſtants do. For by Merit we mean but Moral aptitude, for the reward of a free Benefactor who is alſo Rector, when the ordering of a free Gift ſuſpended on official Conditions, is ſapientially made a means of procuring Obedience.
Whatever God hath promiſed to give us for other Men's ſake, that he will ſo give. But our Faith ſhall not go beyond his Promiſe: If God have told us any where, who Saint Nicolas, and St. Becket, and St. Chriſtopher, and St. Joan, and St. Jane, and St. Winifrid are, and what they were to us more than others, and that they were real Saints, and that he hath promiſed us Mercy for their ſakes, and bid us pray to him for their Meriting for us; let them ſhew us this in his Word. But if it be only the Popes Command and Promiſe, let his Subjects obey and truſt it.
We are certain that none but Saints are ſaved: And why then muſt I go to God, for the Merits of St.Nicholas, or St.Bridget, any more than for the Merits of all the reſt, which are many Millions?
As God is jealous of his Honour againſt Idols, ſo is he of Chriſts Honour againſt Antichriſts and falſe Mediators, and we muſt do nothing that ſeemeth to aſcribe any part of Chriſts proper Office of Mediation to any Creature: And doth it not ſeem ſo, if we pray, Lord hear, pardon and ſave me for the Merits of Becket or Bridget, &c. For what more can we ſay of the Merits of Chriſt?
But ſtill mark, that theſe men ſay not that, we muſt pray thus for the Merit of Saints, but that we may: And muſt all be Burnt or Damned that will not do all that the Pope thinks they maey do?
That we receive no benefit by them, is a forged Calumny and not our Doctrine: We believe that the Jews had benefit by Abraham, Moſes, David, when they were Dead: And that the Reformed Churches have had benefit by the Blood of the Martyrs, ſhed by the Blood-thirſty Papiſts to this day; and that the whole Church hath benefit by the Writings of Chryſoſtom, Nazianzene, Auguſtine, &c. Luther, Calvin, &c.
The Four and Thirtieth accuſed Point.
That we ought not expreſly to pray them to pray or intercede to God for us.
Anſ. There was enough ſaid of this before, about praying to Angels.
When God bids us pray to dead Men's Souls, we will do it. Till then your ſaying we may do it, proveth neither may nor muſt to us. Why then cannot you keep your [may] to your ſelves? Never a Conjurer in England can tell us,how far Souls in Heaven can hear, nor where and when they are preſent or within hearing; nor which of them are ſo, whether all, or one, or which; No nor whether thoſe Saints that underſtood not Latin on Earth, do underſtand Latin Prayers ſent up from Earth, wh… the Speaker himſelf underſtandeth them not. Alas! Chriſtian Reader, what a dark uncertain Worſhip, like Charming, would this Infallible Church compell men to offer the moſt Holy God, while they accuſe his Word of enſnaring dangerous obſcurity.
We will pray to thoſe alive, that we know do hear us, to pray to God for us, for the ſake of Chriſt: But it's but profanation of the Scripture, to ſay, that becauſe Luke 16, a man in Hell ſuppoſed to ſee and hear Abraham, did pray him to ſend Lazarus on Earth; therefore we that neither ſee nor hear the Dead, ſhould pray to them. But Dives prayed in vain, and ſo may you. And what if thoſe Souls ſhould prove to be in Purgatory? Muſt we pray both to them that are in Purgatory, and for them alſo? And is it certain that the Pope and all his Church, are ſure which Saint is not in Purgatory, when all are there or worſe (ſay they,) that ever ſinned and did not Pennance for it?
The Five and Thirtieth accuſed Point.
That the Bones or Relicks of the Saints are not to be kept or reſerved; no Virtue proceeding from them after they be once dead.
Anſ. 1. Where hath God Commanded us to keep them, for the Virtue that proceedeth from them?
2. We deny not but a man may keep a Skeleton or Skull, and if it be his Fathers, we will accuſe him no higher than of Imprudence and Paſſion. But what proof have you of Virtue proceeding from Bones, till you ſee it by experience? Is it any appointed means for God to work Miracles by? And how know you that all were Saints that the Pope calleth ſo? Had all the Debauched Popes of Anno 800, 900, 1000, skill Infallible to know Saints from Hypocrites? And hath God promiſed Virtue to all their Bones? And are you ſure that they are their Bones? Alas! what numerous Tricks have men to truſt to, to deceive themſelves and others, that yet will not obey Chriſts plain Commands, and truſt his promiſe!
The Six and Thirtieth accuſed Point.
That Creatures cannot be Sanctified, or made more holy than they are already of their own Nature.
Anſ. A down-right ſlander. 1. We believe that all men that ſhall be ſaved, are or ſhall be Sanctified, and made more holy than they are of their own Nature.
2. We believe that to the Pure, all things are Pure, and are Sanctified by the Word and Prayer: And that whatever we do, we ſhould do it to the glory of God: And when a Chriſtian devoteth and uſeth his Food, Eſtate, and all to Gods Service, it is Sanctified.
3. We believe that a Temple, a Font, a Table, and Utenſils, may well be ſeparated from common uſes to Gods Worſhip: And that Separation is a ſanctifying of them.
To be Sanctified or Holy, is but to be ſeparated from common uſe, to Gods ſpecial Service, according to the nature of the thing uſed.
1. Godly men are Sanctifyed and Saints, becauſe by Soul-conſent and Devotion, and Practice, they are ſincerely ſeparated to God, from the ſlavery of the World, the Fleſh and the Devil; being Habitually and Predominantly lovers of God and Holineſs, by the grace of Chriſt and the Holy Ghoſt.
2. Profeſſed Chriſtians are Sacramentally Sanctifyed, when by outward Baptiſm, they are devoted to God in Chriſt.
3. Even bad Miniſters are externally ſanctifyed, as ſeparated and conſecrated to a Holy Office.
4. Temples, and Books, and Church Utenſils are ſanctifyed, when by men they are ſeparated from common and unclean uſage, to Gods Worſhip. So that tho' Holineſs in all be this ſeparation to God, yet, as the Perſons and things are not the ſame, ſo neither is their Holineſs in ſpecie, but only in genere.
And there is a Superſtitious and an Idolatrous Mock-Holineſs, when men will devote that to God and Holy uſes which he abhorreth, or accepteth not, nor ever required of them: And ſay as the Hypocrite Phariſees, it is Corban, who required this at their hands? The Hypocrites and Idolaters have always been forward for this unrequired Mock-Holineſs, to quiet their Conſciences, inſtead of real ſaving Holineſs. It's Cheaper and Eaſier to have Holy-Water, Holy-Oil, Holy-Spittle, Holy-Images, Holy-Croſſes, Holy-Veſtments of many ſorts, Holy-Altars, Holy-Shrines, and Pilgrimages, Holy-Bones, and Chips and Places, than to have Holy-Hearts and Lives, which love God, and Grace, and Heaven, above all this World and Life it ſelf, and by the Spirit mortify all fleſhly Luſts.
The Seven and Thirtieth accuſed Point.
That Children may be ſaved by their Parents Faith, without the Sacrament of Holy Baptiſm.
Anſ. Can you unriddle this charge? Whether the man mean that they may be ſaved by Baptiſm without their Parents Faith? Or that both muſt be conjoyned as neceſſary to Salvation? He will not tell us that.
1. That God hath made abundance of promiſes to the Seed of the Faithful, and taketh them into the Covenant of Grace with their Parents, and ſaith that they are Holy, 1 Cor. 7.14; Proteſtants have copiouſly proved againſt Anabaptiſts and Papiſts. But it is Gods Mercy, and Chriſts Merit, Grace, and Covenant, that they are ſaved by: The Parents Faith is but that Qualification and Relation, which maketh them receptive and capable of this ſaving Grace. The Parenrs Faith ſaveth themſelves, but as the Moral▪qualifying diſpoſition and condition of Gods ſaving Gift: And to Infants it is required, not that they be Believers, but Believers Seed, devoted to God by Parents or Pro-Parents, whoſe they are.
2. We doubt not, but regularly, where it may be had, this Dedication ſhould be ſolemnly made by Baptiſmal Covenanting: Ask the Anabaptiſts whether we hold not this. But we believe, that as private Marriage maketh Husband and Wife before God, but ſolemn Matrimony is neceſſary for publick Order, without which they may be puniſhed as Fornicators: So if an Infant be the Child of one believing Parent, dedicated to God, he is Holy and in the ſame Covenant with the Parent, (and were elſe unclean:) But that before the Church, he is not regularly to be judged in Covenant till it be ſolemnized in Chriſts appointed way by Baptiſm.
Still excepting where Baptiſm cannot be had; and there even ſober Papiſts ſay, that the Votum, the Vow, or deſire, will ſerve.
And this neceſſity is manifold: 1. When the Child dieth, before Baptiſm could be had.
2. Where there is no capable Perſon to do it, or that will not utterly deprave it.
3. When the Parent is an Antipoedo-Baptiſt, and omitteth it, thinking it a Sin. If they think that the Infant is not ſaved by the Parents Faith, why ſhould they think, that believing Parents Children are damned becauſe the Parent Erreth in ſuch an external thing?
But Papiſts, that turn other parts of Holineſs into Form and Ceremony, and make a Religion of the Carkaſs mortifyed, would here alſo perſwade People that the very outward act of Waſhing, is of ſo great moment with God, that though it were the holyeſt Perſons or their Seed, a miſtake, or a delay, or ſurprize of Death, will damn them if they be not Baptized, (or Martyred.) This tendeth to Subject all to the Mercy and Dominion of the Prieſts, that they may ſeem more neceſſary to Salvation than they are, or at leaſt their external Forms, by Lay-men or Women Baptizers adminiſtred.
Conſtantine himſelf, the Churches great Deliverer, was not Baptized till near his Death: Are they ſure that he was till then in a ſtate of Damnation, and had been Damned if he had ſo Died? Methinks in gratitude, the Church of Rome, ſhould have caſt him no lower than the Torments of Purgatory.
The Eight and Thirtieth accuſed Point.
That the Sacrament of Confirmation is not neceſſary, nor to be uſed.
Anſ. You may ſo mean by the Word [Sacrament] and [Confirmation,] as that we do deny them. And you may ſo mean, as that we are more for them than you are.
1. If by a Sacrament, you mean one of Gods Inſtitution, appointed by him to be his Solemn Delivery and Inveſtiture in a ſtate of Chriſtianity or neceſſary Grace; and if by Confirmation you mean Arch-Biſhops anointing Infants, or Ignorant Children, or Perſons, with hallowed Oyl, compounded once a year, and his Ceremonious boxing them, and ſuch other Formalities; then we deny that ſuch Confirmation is any ſuch Sacrament, nor is neceſſary, or to be uſed; becauſe Holy things are not to be mortyfied and profaned.
2. But if by a [Sacrament] you mean, but a Solemn renewal of our Covenant with God in Chriſt; and by Confirmation you muſt, that thoſe Baptized in Infancy ſhould at due Age, underſtandingly, under the Paſtors hand or Care, profeſs their ſerious perſonal Conſent to that Covenant which by others they imputatively made in Baptiſm; we are ſo far from denying this, that we think till this Solemn perſonal Covenanting, and owning their Baptiſm with underſtanding and ſeeming ſeriouſneſs, be made, the Entrance into the ſtate of Adult Church Communion, the woful Corruption of the Church is never to be well healed; but while one ſide turn Confirmation into a dead Shadow and Mockery, and the Anabaptiſts ſcandalized Hereſie, are all for Rebaptizing inſtead of Confirmation, Prophanation and Schiſm will gratifie Satan. You know, that the Engliſh Biſhops practiſe Confirmation, and the Liturgy deſcribeth it as I here do: And are the Church of England no Proteſtants? And divers Proteſtant Non-Conformiſts here have about 29 and 30 years ago, written full Treatiſes for Confirmation.