A Protestant Antidote Against the Poison of Popery, Conclusion
THE CONCLUSION.
THus I have drawn a ſummary Repreſentation of the ſeven curſed Characters of the Romiſh Religion; that, as by the Print of Hercules Foot, was gueſſed the Stature of his whole Body; ſo by this ſcantling Landskip or Compendium, all ſober Minds may judge whether this be a Religion ſafely to be embraced, by any true Engliſhman, that truly deſires to be holy here and to be happy hereafter; ſeeing it is a Religion which is,
1. Superſtitious, and who will, can, or dare forſake the Subſtance for a mere Shadow? He that makes a Bridge of the ſhadow of a Tree, ſhall be ſure to fall down into the Deep.
2. 'Tis Idolatrous, and who may, can, or dare own its Dunghil Deities, which provoke the Great and Terrible God to the higheſt Jealonſie againſt Man; as the ſecond Commandment (which the Romiſh Catechiſm leaves out as none of the Ten) plainly declareth.
3. 'Tis a Bloody Religion: The Romaniſts would eat up Gods people as Bread, Pſal. 14.3. and they would tear in pieces as if there were none to deliver, Pſal. 50.22. But bleſſed be the Lord God of Mercy, when thoſe wicked ones (our Enemies) came upon us to eat up our Fleſh, they ſtumbled and fell, Pſal. 27.2. Had thoſe bloody Romaniſts any power over our Bodies, they would ſend away our Souls in Chariots of Fire. Their own Bannes ſpeaks plainly, ſaying; Engliſh Papiſts are excuſed for not Rebelling, only becauſe they have not ſufficient ſtrength: God Almighty grant they may ever want it: Curſed is their wrath for it is Cruel &c. Gen. 49.7. Every true lover of the Land of his Nativity, ſhould hate this Religion as Rebellion it ſelf, the very Collect (for Gunpowder Treaſon day) calls that Religion no better than Rebellion. Yea, 'tis a Religion that is not only cruel to others that oppoſe it, but alſo to themſelves that profeſs it, putting them upon Whippings, Scourgings, and ſelf-Macerations, like to thoſe Prieſts of Baal, who cut and ſlaſhed their own Fleſh, 1 Kin. 18.28. How may, can, or dare any good man love this Religion?
4. 'Tis Deſperate and Damnable, its whole Doctrine is a Doctrine of Deſperation, and can never afford any ſolid comfort to any Sinſick Soul; becauſe it ſends them to Hepher and Arpad, (Rivers of Damaſcus or Babylon) to wit, unto their Pennances and Pilgrimages; it ſends Souls from Chriſt to Works, from Scripture (which they do ſcornfully call, Ink and Paper-Divinity) unto Tradition, &c. Thus Popery (which is but a foppery) altogether walks (like the unclean Spirit wherewith ſhe is poſſeſſed, Matth. 12.44.) in dry places, and is not only cruel to the Body, (as before) but 'tis no leſs to the Soul, by its leaving it always in doubt and deſpair. Oh! who may, can, or dare love this Deſperate Religion, which is Damnable as well as deſperate? Though ſome may be ſaved in the Popiſh Church, yet none can be ſo by the Popiſh Faith, Purus-putus Papiſt a non poteſt ſalvari, ſaith Dr. Willet: And 'tis univerſally affirmed, that a learned Engliſh Apoſtate Papiſt cannot be ſaved.
5. 'Tis a Novel Muſhroom Religion, that ſpringeth out of the Earth, Bevel. 13.11. like a Muſhroom or Toadſtool (called by the Poets [foreign] or Earth born) gradually and by little and little from Phoca's time, aſcending out of the Earth from ſmall beginnings, not deſcending down from Heaven [ab initio] It was not ſo from the beginning, Matth. 19.8. Porphury, indeed, calleth Toadſtools [Deorum filios] the Product of the Gods, becauſe they ſpring up without Seed, yet are they but the ſweat and ſuperfluity of putrefyed Earth; and therefore never can continue many Months, Weeks, or Days, but ſoon ſhrivles into Fuz-balls. This is the exact Reſemblance of the Beaſt with ſeven Heads (to Plot with) and ten Horns (to Puſh with) aſcending out of the Earth, or Sea, or Hell, Revel. 13.1.11. and Revel. 11.7. and of his Beaſtly Religion, that Smoke which aſcendeth out of the bottomleſs Pit, Revel. 9.2. with abundance of Craft and Cruelty: Though the Romaniſts ſay of it, as the Town-Clerk ſaid of Diana's Image, that it fell down from Jupiter, or (as the Syriack reads it) which deſcended down from Heaven, Act. 19.35. yet Chriſt ſaith to them, as John 8.23. Vos Infernales eſtis, ye are from beneath, Earth-ſprung as ſo many Muſhrooms and born from baſe Beginnings, God grant they may dwindle away into Fuz-balls; yea into nothing, when their forty two Months (the Beaſts Leaſe) are expired. Aſſuredly, Chriſt will ſmite Antichriſt, that Earthy one, that lump of Earth (which is both cold and dry, heavy, and bearing downward toward Hell, as Earth) with the Rod ef his Mouth, Iſa. 11.6. And if John Baptiſt could ſay, Chriſt muſt increaſe but I muſt decreaſe; much more may this Earthy Antichriſt, this Toadſtool Beaſt (that only ſpeaketh of the Earth, not at all minding Heaven) ſay ſo. John 3.30, 31.
6. 'Tis Inconſiſtent with Rublick Peace in its Principles and Practices, Inſomuch that the very Collect (for Gunpowder-Treaſon day in the Comon-Prayer Book) calls the Romiſh Religion no better than abſolute Rebellion. How then can, may, or dare any ſober mind do, but hate this Religion as Rebellion it ſelf, which is as the Sin of Witchcraft, 1 Sam. 15.23. Yea, Dr. Davenant and Dr. Prideaux, (the two worthy Profeſſors of our famous Univerſities) have both determined that an abſolute Papiſt, living under a Proteſtant Prince and ſtanding up to his own Principles, muſt be an abſolute Traitor: And Mr. Fuller (of later date) affirms, that an abſolute Papiſt living under a Proteſtant King, is battered with this two horn'd Dilemma, of being either a Traitor (if he walk up to his own Popiſh Principles,) or an Heretick if he deny them, he cannot ſerve two Maſters, Matth. 6.24. This curſed Achan (with his Babyloniſh Garment, &c.) hath troubled Iſrael's peace in all Lands, and therefore is to be ſtoned and burn'd, Joſh. 7.15. to 25. with (Rev. 17.16.)
Laſtly, 'Tis Irreconciliable, Implacable, Rom 1.31. that admits not of a Truce, much leſs of a peace; like the old hatred of the Philiſtins to Iſrael, Ezek. 25.15. or like the inveterate Enmity of the Seed of the Serpent againſt the Seed of the Woman, that can never be reconciled, but will laſt as long as the World laſts: When you hear that the Devil is reconciled to God, then may you have the Romiſh Religion reconciled to the Reformed; 'tis not any Amicable Reconciliation with Rome our Lord hath foretold, but an utter extirpation. Oh! then let not my Countrymen now Court the Whore which hath been ſo long Carted for a Whore; the affection that is due to the Beaſt and his beaſtly Religion, is hatred and not love, Revel. 17.16. I conclude this firſt Part with a lightſome ſtory of a French Gentleman, that being asked merrily which was the beſt Religion, the Romiſh or Reformed? Anſwered, I may beſt know for I have been of both; and ſurely (ſaith he) the Reformed (which I left) is the better; for when I changed I had this Romiſh Religion and three hundred Crowns per year to boot. Oh! pray that thoſe ſeven unclean Spirits (with the Romiſh Religion) may be caſt out of England for ever, and never to return, Mark 9.25.
FINIS.