Mystical Babylon Availed, Proposition 4
Propoſition IV. That the Roman-Prieſts are the falſe Prophet.
BY the Roman-Prieſts, I mean and intend the Pope, the Cardinals, the Jeſuits, and all thoſe Prieſts that do receive Orders of Prieſt-hood from the Church of Rome, and ackowledge HER to be the Catholick Church, believe Her Doctrines, obey her Canons, and Teach Her damnable Hereſies. That the Roman-Prieſts are the falſe Prophet doth plainly appear by the falſe Doctrines of the Church of Rome, which they believe, and teach. I call them the Doctrines of the Church of Rome, which are approved by the publick Authority of that Church by their eſtabliſhed Laws, their Popes Bulls, Decretals, and Conſtitutions, or the Canons of their Provincial, National, or general Councils, All which are approved and confirmed in their Trent Council(a)Con. Trident. Seſſ. 25. de Reformatione, cap. 20. Praecepit. Sancta Synodus, Sacros Canones, & Concilia generalia omnia, nec non alias Apoſtolicas Sanctiones in favorem Eccleſiaſt icarum Perſonarum & Libertatis Eccleſiaſticae; & contra ejus Violatores editos, quae Omnia preſenti Decreto innovat, exactè ab omnibus obſervari debere.. And all their Secular Clergy, and all who have Cure of Souls, &c. are ſworn to approve, to profeſs, and teach the ſame— And to Anathematize, Reject, and Curſe all contrary opinions and Doctrines.(b)Vide Bullam Pii 4. Super formâ Juramenti Profeſſionis fidei, in calce Seſs. 25. Concilii Trident. datam Romae. Id. Nov. 1564. de Reformatione, cap. 12. I ſhall at preſent inſtance in three known Doctrines of the Church of Rome, 1. The Doctrine of the Popes Supremacy over all Princes, Kings, and Emperours of the Earth. This pernicious Doctrine of the Church of Rome is taught by the Roman-Prieſts(c)Blaſius Bagnus de S. Romanae Eccleſiae dignitatibus, Tract. 7. pag. 83, 84.85. Blaſius Bagnus a Prior general tells us, That the Popes Empire is over all the World: and that HE is the only Vicar of God, who hath Supreme Power and Rule over all Kings and Princes of the Earth; (d)Sic. Simanca Enchir. Judicum Tit. 67. §. 12. p. 349. Antwerp. Anno, 1573. &Jacobus Simanca a Roman-Biſhop, whoſe Book is Printed cum publico Privilegio, and Commended by the Cenſor librorum the learned Ben. Arias Montanus, who ſaith, That he had read it—And that it contained nothing offenſive to the Catholick Faith. Hereticks (ſaith Simanca) are actually deprived of all Dominion and Juriſdiction, and their Subjects freed from their Obedience, and this comprehends Kings and other Lords. And Emanuel Sa a famous Jeſuite affirmes(e)Eman. Sa Aphor. Confeſſ. Verbo Clericus, pag. 41. Col. 1599. That if a Clergyman Rebel againſt his King, it is no Treaſon, becauſe (ſaith he) Clergy-Men are not the Kings Subjects. Theſe falſe Prophets have taught, and maintained this falſe Doctrine.
2. The Doctrine of Juſtification by works which are (ſay they) meritorious and ſatisfactory. I need not ſpend Time, and waſt Paper in proving that the Church of Rome, and all her Clergy own and teach this Doctrine(f)Conc. Colonienſ. pag. 140. 141. Becan. Ibid. Concil. Trident. Seſſ. 6. cap. 6. Bellarm. lib. 1. de juſt. cap. 13. & de Purgot. lib. 1. cap. 14. Rhem. Annot. 2 Tim. 4.8. & Heb. 6.10. Greg. de Valen. tom. 3. diſp. 7. q. 2. de Indulgent. Bellarm. lib. 4. cap. 16. de Juſtif. & lib. 5. cap. 16, 17. Andradius orthod. Explic. Concil. Trident. lib. 6. therefore I will briefly prove that it is falſe Doctrine, whereby it will appear, that the Roman-Prieſts are falſe Teachers, Deceivers, and the falſe Prophet. The Apoſtle Paul gives it in holy writ as the Concluſion of all Chriſts Apoſtles, Rom. 3.28. Therefore we conclude (ſaith he) that a man is juſtified by Faith, without the Deeds of the Law. And Gal. 2.16. Knowing that a Man is not juſtified by the works of the Law, but by the Faith of Jeſus Chriſt—For by the works of the Law ſhall no fleſh be juſtified.
It may be objected, that the Apoſtle James ſaith expreſly, That by works a man is Juſtified, and not by Faith only, Jam. 2.24. and Inſtanceth in Abraham, ver. 21. Was not Abraham our Father juſtified by works?
I Anſwer, That a mans Perſon is juſtified by Faith before God, and works juſtifie his Faith before Men: And this ſeems to be the Mind of both thoſe Apoſtles; For St. Paul ſaith expreſly Rom. 4.2. If Abraham were juſtified by works, he hath whereof to glory, but not before God. And St. James ſpeaks of ſhewing our Faith by our works, before Men, verſ. 18. I will ſhew thee my Faith by my Works, And ſo Peter Martyr and other of the Ancients uſed to Diſtinguiſh; Faith (ſaith he) juſtifies our Perſons, and good Works juſtifie our Faith.
3. The Doctrine of the falſe worſhip of God, which conſiſts of many particular Parts, (that the Church of Rome Practiſeth, and the Roman Prieſts teach) all which are aſſerted, confirmed, and eſtabliſhed by the Laws, Canons, and general Councils of the Church of Rome. And the Romiſh Clergy (by teaching for Doctrines the Commandments of Men touching the Worſhip of God(g)Joan. Bal. in vitâ Innocent. 3d. ſaith that Innocent 3d. Commanded, that the Words of the Canon of the Maſſe ſhould be held equal to the words of the Goſpel. Card. Cuſanus entitleth his Book, De Authoritate Eccleſiae & Concilii ſupra & contra Scripturam. Henricus Doctor, magiſter ſuori palatii Roma ad Legatos Bohemicos ſub Felice Papâ, pag 1447. ſaith, The Pope may Change the holy Goſpel, and may give to the Goſpel, according to the place and time, another Senſe. Michael, Medina, Gratian, Abb. Panorm. Felinus, and all the Roman Prieſts aſſert and Teach, The Pope may diſpence againſt jus divinum, and againſt the New Teſtament. and thereby deceiving and ſeducing them) are become the falſe Prophet: like Thyatira's Jezabel, Rev. 2.20. which called her ſelf a Propheteſs, viz. The falſe Prophets in that Church, who taught and ſeduced the people of God to commit Fornication: ſo the Roman Prieſts do teach them, that worſhip the Beaſt and his Image, to worſhip Saints deceaſed, yea to worſhip Idols, Croſſes, Crucifixes, and Images which the Church of Rome hath ſet up, and Commanded to be Adored and Worſhiped; eſpecially their breaden God, and Sacrilegious Hoſt, teaching the People and Seducing them to Believe, That the ſelf ſame Body of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, who was once in the fulneſs of Time (and but once) made of a Woman, Gal. 4.4. by the Power of God, is every Sacrament Day made of a Wafer by the power of a Romiſh Prieſt. By all which, and by ſeveral other falſe Doctrines, it is plain and evident to thoſe, that have underſtanding in the holy Scriptures of Truth, That the Roman-Prieſts are the falſe Prophet, meant and intended by Chriſt, Rev. 13, 14. and 16.13. and 19, 20. As for their Doctrines of Purgatory, Pennances, Pardons, and many other falſe Doctrines taught by the Roman-Prieſts, I paſs by, as not worth mentioning.
Having thus far unvailed Myſtical-Babylon, that is Rome-papal, I ſhall now proceed to Call the People of God to come out of Babylon, fand to forſake Papal-Rome, to Renounce the Church o Rome, as the great Whore and Mother of Harlots, to Deny the Popes Imperial and Pontifical Supremacy, as the Beaſt with his two horns like a Lamb and not to hear nor hearken unto the Roman-Prieſt, (that falſe Prophet) which teach the falſe Doctriness of the Church of Rome, and Seduce the Servants of God. And this Call I give the People of God (eſpecially in England) in the Name of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt.