Answer to a Popish Pamphlet Called the Touchstone of the Reformed Gospel, To the reader
To the Reader.
Courteous Reader.
IN anſwering this TOUCH-STON of the reformed Gospell, I thought good to advertiſe thee of ſome things. Firſt, That the Impudencie and malice of this Pamphleter beſide his Ignorance, is ſuch, that to make the Proteſtant profeſſion the more odious to his Proſelyts, hee would charge our Profeſſion with ſuch Doctrines and Tenets, which we never taught nor owned, So that whil he fights againſt ſuch, he beats the wind and fights onelie with his owne ſhaddow, A few Inſtances in place of many are theſe. Firſt, §. 5. That we ſay, That a man by his own private spirit, may rightly judge and interpret Scripture. Next, §. 6. That PETERS Fayth failled. 3. §. 9. That the Church was not ever to remaine Catholick. 4. §. 10. That the Churches unitie is not neceſſary in all points of Fayth. 5. §. 17. That the actions and ſufferings of the Saynts ſerve for nothing to the Church 6. §. 21. That good works are not neceſſary to Salvation. 7. §. 29. That Angels cannot help us. 8. §. 39. That the bread in the Supper of the LORD is but a figure. 9. §. 45. That Faſting is nos grounded on Scripture, nor cauſeth any ſpirituall good. Thus heſeeks not only unneceſſarlie to multiply feigned Controverſies to deceive the ſimple, but alſo to make our Profeſsion the more odious to ſuch as will beleeve him, imitating herin Satan who by like lyeing would made God odious to our firſt Parents.
2 As if to name onelie, and by a falſe Maſter to multiplie the citations of Scripture & Fathers were enough, without the ſetting down the words of either; he laboureth to ſeduce ſimple ſoules and make them beleeve, that both Scriptures and Fathers were on their ſide onlie, whil as theſe who are judicious and impartiall may ſee that if the maine places of Scripture and Fathers, whoſe words he ſets downe, be proven in this my enſueing. Anſwere to be either altogether impertinent and wreſted, or to make againſt himſelf. Then much more may any judge the like of ſuch places as he only pointeth at, but neither ſeteth downe, nor dare ſet downe their words. Wherefore 1. As for his references to places of Scripture. Firſt, They are ſuch that if I ſhould particularly diſcuſs their impertinencie, not only ſhould his groſſe ignorace and deceat be ſeen the more, (which is clearly enough diſcovered (I hope) by my anſwer to ſuch places whoſe words he ſets downe) but my Anſwere ſhould alſo grow to a hudge volume, wheras I ſtrive to as great brevitie with perſpicuitie as I can, and that to make my Anſwere onelyonly to bee a pocket and portable Book. 2. His references, (for oſtentation onelyonly, and deluſion of the ſimple) are ſo numerous, as Pag. 20. for the Churches infallibilitie, where hee bringeth but foure places of Scripture, whoſe words he ſets down, he maketh reference to 22. places, moſt impertinēt & wreſted. Like wiſe pag. 59 To prove good works to be meritorious, he bringeth but four places of Scripture in likemanner, but relats to 21. more, which a… to no ſuch purpoſe, the like he does p. 27. 51. 54. 63. 67. 72. & elſwher, Next, as for his references to the teſtimonies of Fathers, mentioning oftimes neither Book, Chapter no… words, It wer an infinitly laborious task to anſwere, a man knoweth not what, and would likewiſe accreaſe to a voluminous bulk, eſpeciallie ſeing either ignorantlie, or (I may juſtlie fay) deceatfully and impudentlie hee citeth places in Fathers. 1. whom themſelves rejects as ſpurious and counterfite: For example. In the matter of purgatorie, hee citeth Ambroſe upon 1. Cor. 3. whereas Bellarmin De ſcriptoribus Eccleſiaſticis, teſtifieth▪ That theſe are thought not be his works and not without cauſe (ſayeth hee) Againe for Sacramentall Coufeſſion he citeth Clements Epiſtles, which Bellarmine in his Book of Eccleſiaſticall Writters declareth and proveth to be counterfit.
2. Hee citeth ſome works of Fathers, which are not in rerum natura, for example, For invocation of Saynts, he citeth ATHANASIUS Serm. de Annunciatione, where-as there is no ſuch piece either in his works or in Bellarmins index which he hath ſet downe of his works, in his Book of eccleſiaſticall writters. Againe, For works of Supererogation he citeth Gregorie Nicen. 1. Morals cap. 5. Whereas, he never write any ſuch book, or is it to be found.
3. Hee citeth ſome places of Fathers for him, who in theſe places are clear againſt him. For example, for Mans abiiitie to keepe the Law, hee citeth Jerome his third book againſt the Pelagians, whereas in that whole booke throughout, hee ſtronglie proveth the contrar.
4. Hee citeth ſome places in Fathers ſo generallie and looſlie, that it were impoſſible to find out ſuch wherat he he aimeth. For example, For worſhipping of Images, he citeth Jerom in his Epiſtle to Marcella, whereas Jerom write many Epiſtles to Marcella, in none of which is any ſuch thing to be found. 2. concerning predeſtination hee citeth Auguſtin. lib. 1. de Civit, Dei. but no Chapter or words, wheras ther are 36. Chapters in that book. In likemanner he citeth for the ſame purpoſe Ambroſe. lib. 2. de Cain & Abell, but no Chapter, wheras there are ten in that book. 3. Againſt Aſſurance of Salvation, he citeth Jerom lib. 2. adv. Pelag. but no Chapter, whereas there are eleven long Chapters in it. 4. For extreame Ʋnction, he citeth Auguſtin in ſpeculo, but no Chapter, wheras there ar 33. Chapters in that book▪ I could inſtance a number more, were not to avoid prolixitie. wherby any indifferent mā may ſee how fraudulentlie theſe men deale, by a falſe Muſter of Scriptures and Fathers to delude the ſimple, & make them beleeve that both theſe ar on their ſide, whereas I ſhall ſhowe (Godwilling) that there is no ſuch thing, and whatſoever is ſet down in this TOUCH-STONE, to be either grosſly miſtaken, willfully perverted, ſlanderouſly imputed, or ſo weaklie performed, that he hath relyed not ſo much on the ſtrength of his Cauſe, as on the weaknes & tractablenes of his ſimple and ungrounded Proſelyts, whom they perſwade, fide implicit…, to take all upon Truſt, and Beleeve as the Church beleeveth, and that they are the Church, contrar to that Berean practiſe Act. 17. 11. And that Apoſtolicall precept. 1. Ioh. 4. 1. Beloved, Beleeue not every Spirit, but try the ſpirits whether they bee of God, becauſe many falſe Prophets are gone out in the World, at whoſe credulity I could not but wonder, how they can be catched in ſuch Cobweb ſnares, and be ſeduced by ſuch weake arguments in the time of Goſpell-light and means of reſolution, were not that (as the Apoſtle ſpeaketh 2. Theſſ. 2. 10.) That they are given over by the deceivablenes of unrighteouſnes to beleeve lies, becauſe they received not the louelove of the Truth, and therefore as BHRNARD ſayeth of ſuch. Serm. 66. in CANTICA, They are not convinced with reaſon, becauſe they understand not, nor by Authorities (to wit of Scripture) becaus they receiue them not (ſayeth he) nor are they moved by perſwaſion, becauſe they are perverſe and yeeldeth not. For all which notwithſtanding, my heartie wiſh ſhall be, that as the LORD did to PAULL, Act. 9. 18. the ſcales of errour and ignorance may likewiſe fall from their eyes, that GOD may hauehave Glory, His Church joy in their converſion, & their owne ſoules ſalvation in the Day of their account,
Amen.