A Discourse Penned by a Romish Priest, To the reader
The Conclusion of the Authour of the Animadversions to the Reader.
THis Treatise, Christian Reader, penned by a learned and intelligent Romanist, resembles Ortwhinus his Booke intituled Fasciculus rerum expetendarum et fugiendarum, or the two baskets of figg…s, Ier. 24.1.2. set before the Temple, one basket had very good figges, and the other very naughtie. Among the very good are these assertions. That in the Protestant Church there is no Idolatrie committed. That the Liturgie of the Church of England hath not any malignitie in it, that may …ustifie Popish Recusancie. That the Oathes of All…giance and Supremacie are iustifiable by the law of God. But among the very naughtie, are these that when we are questioned about our Religion before a Magistrate, we may vulpizure cum vulpibus, goe beyond the foxe if wee can in fox-craft: that in taking an oath we may frame a meaning to our selves which is proved contrary to the meaning of him that made, or ministreth the Oath that we may by our outward gestures and actions make shew of that Religion, of which indeed we are not: that a Prudent Catholique may both frequent the Protestant Church in publique (as this Priest s…ith he hath done often) and goe to Masse, …r say Masse in private. This is no better then to weare a garment not on our bodies, …ut on our soules made of …, and to plough in Christs …ield with an Oxe and an As…e, and to … betweene two opinions reproved by the holy Prophet Eliah; t…is is to be of the lukewarme temper, which is so … to the … of God, that he threateneth to spew such out of his mouth. Of which beware, Christian Reader, as thou tendere…t the everlasting health of thy soule. If the Lord be God follow him, but if Baal be he, goe after him. For assure thy selfe whatsoever the Romish Baal may doe, God will retaine no halting followers. It is not … to worship God in thy heart, but thou must worship him also with thy body; for he who hath created both, and redeemed both, will be worshipped in both, and served by both. Say thou never didst worship Baal in thy heart, yet if thy knee bowed unto him, or thy mouth kissed him, God will account thee for none of his servants, 1 King. 19.18. It is not sufficient to beleeve in Christ, thou must also confesse his *The Hel…esaus w…re cond…mned for heretikes, for hol…ing a man might deny his faith with his mouth so hee keepe it in his heart. Euseb. h…st l. 6. c. 31.Name; for aRom. 10.10. Cic. pro … Am…r. vultu saepe lad…tur …. Ep. …. contami…ari se … a…am illam vid…i… ▪ … ibid. Fe…end…m ne est ut, gentilis sacrif…c…t, christianus inter sit? S…zo. hist. eccles. l. 5. c. 16. prejecto ad pedes au…o, &c.with the heart man beleeveth unto righteousnesse, and with the mouth co…f…ssi…n is made unto salvation. It is not sufficient that the Religion we professe be true, if we be not true to it: neither will our faith save us, if we save not it and keepe it uncorrupt. What the Oratour speaketh of piety towards our parents, may be more truely affirmed of piety towards God: religion is wounded with a gesture, a n…d, nay a looke. It was said of old, saith our Saviour, Thou shalt not commit adulterie, but I say unto you (Matth. 5 27.28.) That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adulterie with her in his heart. If we goe with a friend to Masse out of a lust or meere curiositie to see the Whore of Babylon in her richest dresse upon a high Festival day, we have alreadie committed spirituall adultery with her in our heart. And therefore Constantius the Emperour, as Ambrose testifieth; thought himselfe polluted if he had but seene an Altar: and the noble Martyrs in the first and best ages of the Church would rather suffer the last drop of bloud in their heart to be spil…, then cast but one graine of Franckincense to the fire in honour of the Idols. And when Iulian by a slight, as Sozomen writeth, had drawne some Christian souldiers to doe some kinde of reverence in this kinde to his heathenish Idols, he cunningly sitting by the Altar, where there was an Image of his Pagan Deitie, and calling them to bestow some gold upon them; as soone as ever they perceived how they were circumvented, they run backe againe into the place where incense was burning to the Idol, and cast downe all the gold they had received before the Emperours face. And Valentinian carrying the Mace before Iulian the Apostata, when the heathenish Sexton cast some holy water upon him, he …eld him downe at a blow, wiped off the water, saying, foreign. Theod. hist. l. 3. c. 15. In like manner when Licinius bad *Suidas in Auxent.Auxentius cut off a branch of a Vine laden with cluste…s of grapes, and he suspecting nothing had …one it: Licinius bad him put that branch at the feete of the Image of Bacchus: but Auxentius answered, God forbid O Emperour that I should doe it, for I am a Christian: and the Emperour replying, either doe it, or get thee out of my presence, he presently looseneth his belt and quits his service. To whom I will adde one *Marcus Bishop of Arrethusa. Theod. hist. l. 3 c. 6.more mentioned by Theodoret, who chose rather to be most cruelly tortured then he would be brought to contribute a halfe-penny towards the repairing of an Idol temple. Let us warme our zeale at the embers of these holy Martyrs and Confessours, and be ever mindfull of the holy Apostles exhortation; Have no fellowship at all with the workes of darkenesse, Ephes. 5.11. but reprove them rather: be not unequally yoaked with unbeleevers, 2 Cor. 6.14. For what fellowship hath righteousnesse with unrighteousnesse, or what communion hath light with darkenesse: and what concord hath Christ with Belial: and what agreement hath the temple of God with Idols: marke the Apostles gradation, first, What fellowship hath righteousnesse with unrighteousnesse: next, What communion hath light with darknesse: and la…, What concord hath Christ with Belial: no more agreement may we have who are the temples of the living God with Idols. Th…re is great opposition betweene righteousnesse and unrighteousnesse, greater betweene light and darkness; greatest of all between Christ and Belial: righteousnesse and unrighteousnesse (the one being a vertue and the other a vice) are opposed contrarily, but light and darkenesse privatively, which is a greater opposition; but Christ and Belial contradictorily which is the greatest of all: Righteousnesse and unrighteousnesse are so opposite that they cannot subsist in the same soule, and light and darknesse so opposite, that they cannot subsist in the same roome; but Christ and Belial so opposite that they cannot subsist together in the same heaven. Righteousnesse fighteth with unrighteousnesse wheresoever it meeteth with it; but light doth more, it presently banisheth darknesse; but Christ yet more, he utterly confoundeth Belial: so true religion not onelyonly fighteth with all heresie, and superstition wheresoever it meeteth with it; but banisheth it, and in the end confoundeth it: Wherefore come out from among them and be ye separate saith the Lord, and touch not the uncleane thing and I will receive you, 2 Cor. 6.17.
Finis: Deo Laus Sine Fine.
End of the text · Daniel Featley, A Discourse Penned by a Romish Priest (1642)