Defense of the Protestant Christian Religion, Title page – Table of contents
A DEFENCE Of the Proteſtant Chriſtian Religion againſt POPERY: In Anſwer to a Diſcourſe of a Roman Catholick.
WHEREIN The Manifold Apoſtaſies, Hereſies, and Schiſms of the Church of ROME, as alſo, the Weakneſs of Her Pretenſions from the Scriptures and the Fathers, are briefly Laid open:
By an Engliſh Proteſtant.
Frederic. Secundus Germ. Imp.
Roma diu titubans, longis Erroribus acta
Corruet, ac Mundi deſinet eſſe Caput.
In Hereſies long Chace, Rome ſtumbling ſhall
Loſe the Worlds Headſhip, and to Ruine fall.
Printed in the YEAR, M.DC.LXXII.
Advertiſements TO THE READER.
IT is thought needleſs to trouble the Reader with a Narrative of the Tranſactions, or with Copies of the Letters that have paſſed about this Affair, or with the Names of the Perſons concerned therein; or laſtly, with the Motives and Providences which have invited in this juncture of time, to the publiſhing this Defence of our Religion againſt Popery. The Romaniſts Diſcourſe is prefixed and publiſhed wholly and intirely by it ſelf, over and beſide what is repeated of it in the Anſwer. To the Anſwer there be ſome Additions, for the Readers further help, and for the further illuſtration of ſome things; a brief intimation whereof, might be preſumed ſufficient to the Romaniſt himſelf, he being one of their Learned men in Holy Orders amongſt them. And whereas the Author of this Anſwer and Defence, in a Letter to the perſon that called him to this Work, did together with it, expreſs his own Sentiments thereof, it is judged convenient, inſtead of any further Preface, to communicate them out of the ſaid Letter, wherein he ſaith:
I Have received your Letter, and I have peruſed Mr. K. his Diſcourſe, which he challengeth our Divines to Anſwer. And whereas you have pitcht upon me to do it, becauſe (as your Letter Expreſſeth) being the Cauſe of God, you durſt not Truſt it in every hand: As I have reaſon to acknowledge the great reſpect and value you are pleaſed to put upon me, ſo withall I muſt needs own my own unworthineſs and inſufficiency for this, or any other good word or work. It is free Grace I have been depending and looking up unto for help, from whence alone I have had it; and it is the ſame free Grace that muſt bleſs what is ſaid, and bring it home with power. I have ſent you herewith an Anſwer to his Paper. The Civilities you have done to him (which I ſee himſelf in his Letter to you doth ingenuonſly acknowledge) may tend, I hope, to let him ſee. That it is our Religion to do good to all, and that we deſire to do good Works, though not to be juſtified by them. Let me have a part in your Remembrances at the Throne of Grace, to which I Recommend you and yours; which is all, at preſent, from
Your moſt humble Servant in the Lord, S. M. DVBLIN, July ult. 1670.
A Diſcourſe OF A ROMAN CATHOLICK: Of the one, onelyonly, and ſingular onelyonly one Catholick, and Roman Faith.
ONe Lord, one Faith, one Baptiſm, one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in us all,
Eph. 4.5, 6. Malac. 2.10.
Firſt I give thanks to my God, through Jeſus Chriſt for you all, for that your faith is manifeſted in all the world,
Rom. 1.8.
I deſire alſo to ſee you, that I may impart unto you of ſpiritual grace to confirm you, that is to ſay, to be together comforted in you, which together is your faith and mine,
ibid v. 11. & 12.
That now we may not be children, wavering up and down, and carried about with every wind of doctrine in the wickedneſs of men, in deceit, to the circumvention of errour,
Epheſ. 4.14.
Be not carried with various and ſtrange doctrines, for it is a very good grace to ſettle the heart,
Hebr. 13.9.
Alſo I do not pray for them only, but likewiſe for theſe which will believe through their word in me, that all may be one, as your Father and I, and I in you, that alſo they in us may be one, that the world may believe that you ſent me,
Joan. 17. ver. 20.
Now, I hope, it will not be deemed, but that the Church of Rome, was once a moſt pure, excellent, flouriſhing, and Mother Church, ut ſupra, Rom. 1.
This Church could not ceaſe to be ſo, but ſhe muſt fail either by Apoſtaſie, Hereſie, or Schiſm, Rom. 16.17.
I. Apoſtaſie is not only a renouncing of the Faith of Chriſt, but the very name and title of Chriſtianity; no man will ſay, that the Church of Rome had ever ſuch a fall, or fell thus.
II. Hereſie is an adheſion to ſome private and ſingular Opinion or Error in Faith, contrary to the general and approved Doctrine of the Church.
III. If the Church of Rome did ever adhere to any ſingular, or new Opinion, diſagreeable to the common received Doctrine?
Firſt, I pray ſatisfie me as to theſe particulars, viz.
IV. By what general Council was it ever condemned?
V. Which of the Fathers ever wrote againſt Her?
VI. Or by what Authority was ſhe ever Reproved? for it ſeems to me very incongruous, that ſo great a Church ſhould be condemned by every one that hath a wind to condemn Her.
VII. Schiſm is a departure or diviſion from the Vnity of the Church, whereby the band and communion held with ſome former Church, is broken and diſſolved.
VIII. If ever the Church of Rome divided Her ſelf by Schiſm, from any other body of faithful Chriſtians, or brake communion, or went forth from the ſociety of any elder Church, I pray ſatisfie your ſelf and me to theſe particulars.
IX. Firſt, Whoſe company did ſhe leave? Secondly, from what body did ſhe go forth?
X. Where was the true Church which ſhe forſook? for it appears not a little ſtrange to me, That a Church ſhould be accounted Schiſmatical, when there cannot be aſſigned any other Church different from Her (which from Age to Age ſince Chriſts time, hath continued viſible) from whom ſhe departed, &c.
Concluſion. If the Catholick Roman Church was once the true Church, ſhe ſtill remained ſo; and therefore they who have departed from Her, are departed from the true Church, and ſo are out of the way, &c.
The uſual colour of believing more or leſs than the Church alloweth, is vain and erroneous, inaſmuch as that very Chriſt which ſtored Her with knowledge of Gods revealed Truth, and with power to convey the ſame, hath alſo endued Her with inerrability to convey the ſame juſtly, without danger of miſcarrying, againſt Iguorance.
Mat. 13. 11. To you it is given to know the myſteries of heaven.
Mat. 5.14. Againſt darkneſs, you are the light of the world.
John 14.16. Againſt error and falſhood: I will ſend unto you the Spirit of truth, to remain with you for ever.
1 Tim 3. Againſt weakneſs: She is the pillar and ground of truth.
Mat. 16.18. Hell gates ſhall not prevail againſt her; to make which good, Chriſt called his eternal Father to his aid, prayed him, and was heard for his reverence.
Mat. 28.20. Behold I am with you all dayes to the end of the world.
Therefore if they charge the Catholick Roman Church with Error, they muſt ſay, that either Chriſt was not of power to keep his Church from ſtraying, or that he wanted fidelity to make good his word.
Mat. 5.14. You are the light of the world. A City that is ſet on an hill cannot be hid.
Mat. 16.19. Whatſoever thou ſhalt bind on earth, ſhall be bound in heaven.
I pray name me the Church that was commonly counted the true Chriſtian Church, in which you remained, and from which you are not departed.
Mat. 16.18. The Church cannot fail being builded upon a Rock, nor needs no new Maſons to rebuild her again.
1 Tim. 4.1. St. Paul ſaith, Certain will depart from the faith. They went from us.
Whether did the Roman Church go from any other known Church, or did any other go from her? Satisfie your ſelf and me, in this, I pray you.
Teſtimonies of the Fathers, for the See of Rome.
THe Names of the Twelve Apoſtles are theſe, the firſt Simon, who is called Peter, &c. In which place, Divine Epiphanius ſaith, De Epiph. in Ancoratu.That God knew the thoughts of hearts, knoweth alſo who is worthy to be placed in the firſt place; he hath choſen Peter, that he might be the Head of his Diſeiples.
St. Auguſtine ſaith of Peters Succeſſors, De Aug. contra Epiſt. Parmenioni. L. 1. c. 2.to the ſitting in the Chair of the Roman Church, the whole Chriſtian world is ſubject.
Alſo Auguſtine elſewhere: Aug. Epiſt. 162.In the Roman Church alwayes flouriſhed the Sovereignty of the Apoſtolical Chair.
The ſame in another place, Number (ſaith he) the Prieſts of that ſame ſeat of St. Peter, and ſee which of the Fathers ſucceed him; for he is the Rock which the proud gates of Hell do not overcome.
St. Ambroſe, Rome (ſaith he) hath the principality of Apoſtolical Prieſthood.
The Contents.
CHAP. I. Proving, That a true viſible Church may fall away.
CHAP. II. Of the Nature and kinds of Apoſtaſie, and of the Apoſtaſies of the Church of Rome.
CHAP. III. Of the Nature of Hereſie.
CHAP. IV. Of the Hereſies of the Church of Rome, eight particulars inſtanced.
CHAP. V. Of the Nature of Schiſm, and of the Schiſous of the Church of Rome, both within her ſelf, and from other Churches.
CHAP. VI. Some places of Scripture for the inerrability of the Church of Rome, anſwered.
CHAP. VII. Of humane Teſtimonies for, and againſt the Church of Rome.
CHAP. VIII. An Appendix for the further illuſtration of ſome things which are but briefly hinted in the former Chapters.