Xibvavy of Congvcss. UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. \ ■ ^ \ JESUIT JUGGLING. FORTY POPISH FRAUDS DETECTED AND DISCLOSED. BY RICHARD BAXTER, AUTHOR OP THE SAINT'S EVERLASTING REST. FIRST AMERICAN EDITION, WITH AN INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. " I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet ; for they are the spirits of devils, which go forth unto the whole world." — John. NEW-YORK I CRAIGHEAD & ALLEN, H. GRIFFIN & CO., EZRA COLLIER, HOWE & BATES. BOSTON, GOULD, KENDALL & LINCOLN. PITTSBURG, R. PATTERSON. CINCININATI, COREY & WEBSTER. 1835. y^ Entered according to the Act of Congress, in the year 1835, in the Clerk's office of the Southern District of New- York. 2-/? z- CRAIGHEAD AND ALLEN, PRINTERS, 359 BROOME-ST, N. Y. THIS VOLUME, WHICH DISCLOSES THE JUGGLING OF JESUITS, BY RICHARD BAXTER ; AND BY IT, HE BEING DEAD YET SPEAKETH:' IS AFFECTIONATELY INSCRIBED TO ALL JUNIOR THEOLOGIANS; WHO ALREADY ARE CONSECRATED TO THE "MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION," OR WHO ARE PREPARING . " EARNESTLY TO CONTEND FOR THE FAITH WHICH WAS ONCE DELIVERED TO THE SAINTS." WITH DEVOUT SOLICITUDE, THAT THEY MAY NOT " FIGHT THE DRAGON; AND THE BEAST; AND THE FALSE PROPHET ; AS ONE WHO BEATETH THE AIR," BUT THAT THEY MAY BE " MORE THAN CONQUERORS THROUGH HIM WHO LOVED US ! " New- York, October 12, 1835. INDEX, Page 7 25 33 164 310 56 Introductory Address, Epistle Dedicatory, Preface, Adoration of Angels, Albigenses, Allegiance denied, Ambiguity of Romanists, Arguments against Popery, Baptism, Regeneration, Belief of the Church, Belief of the Truth, Beza, Bohemians, Boy of Bilson, Brothels licensed at Rome, Calumnies on Protestant Ministeis, Calumny of Papists, Calvin, Canonized Saints, Catholic Church and the Popedom contrasted, Celibacy of Priests, Character of Popes, Character of Rome, Christian Profession, Church of Rome ceased, Concubines of Priests, Continuance of Popery, Corporeal presence of Christ in the mass, Corruptions of Authors, Council of Lyons, Controversies of Roman Priests, Crimes of Popes, Decision of Controversies, Denial of Faith, Denial of Marriage, Despotism of Popery, Divisions in the Popedom, Detection of Jesuits, Dispensation for oaths, Dispensations for conceal- ment, Diversity of opinion, 152, 280 Divisions in the Popedom, 66 Doctrines contrary to Scrip- ture, 70 1* Page 83 298 End of controversy, Equivocation of Papists, Errors in faith overthrow Popery, Eugenius IV. Pope, Evangelical Ministry, 109:Evidence of Scripture, 49,Evidence of the senses, 272 Extirpation of heretics, 161 Faith, love and obedience, 263 False allegations of Jesuits, 269 196 False doctrines of Roman- 310| ism, 184 False interpretations, 218 False miracles, (Fasting among Papists, 200 | Forgiveness of Sin by Rom- 182 75 62 203 288 69 56 265 267 171 184 267 •sh Priests, 191 Fraudulent divisions 273 295 221 228 49 129 312 220 310 213 Fri rs and Monks, (General councils, 129Godlv men not Papists, 222 Head of the church, 63 Henry IV. of France, 221 Hugo's account of Lyons, 263 Huguenots, 68 Human depravity encowr- 225J aged by Roman Priests, 261 236 Ignorance invincible, 255 [Image worship, 162 27l| T mpeifection of works, 265 178 Implicit faith, 259 220JTnfidel Popes, €9 Interpretation of Scripture, 250 200 Invocation of Saints, 163 219 Irish Massacre, 310 Jansenists and Jesuits, 95 Jesuit doctrines, 268 Jesuit principles, 95 Jesuit proselytism, 302 Jesuit reproaches, 19^ John XII. Pope, 62 John XX1I1. Pope, 61 Judge of controversies, 81 Julius III. Pope, 220 Justification by faith, B6& \axw ofCluist, 189 Legendi) 180 Luther, 183 107 275 273 284 66 300 2G7 297 VI INDEX. Lyons, Massacre of Huguenots, Mental reservation, Meritorius good works, Miracles, Monks and Friars, Murder of Governors, Mystery of Jesuitism, Novel opinions, Novelty of Popish corrup- tions, Novelty of Protestantism, Nuns, Oaths derided, Oaths nullified, Opinions ot councils, Opus operatum, Original sin, Papal artifices, Papal decretals, Papal innovations, Papal sovereignty, Papal unity, Pardon of sin, Pastoral authority, Paul II. Pope, Perjury, Persecution, Personal holiness, Peter not Vicar of Christ, Pius I[. Pope, Popery contrary to the senses, Popery contrary to unity, Popery is antichristian, Popery past amendment, Popes are antichrist, Popish ceremonies, Popish concealment, Popish confusion, Popish deceitfulness, Popish forgeries, Popish perjury, Popish sanctity, Popish slaughters, Popish succession a novelty, Popish treason, Popish unity, Prayers to the dead, Page, Pag* 220 Praying for the dead, 164 310 Pretended Miracles, 184 298 Priestly celibacy, 222 278 Principles of faith, 100 180, 184 Principles of Papists, 78 •221 Prohibition of the Scriptures, 2G4 'MM Proofs of Papists, 78 !).") Protestant divisions, 89 230Purgatory, 266 Renunciation of Christian 226 love, . 55 1 12 Richlicu's catalogue of errors, 270 220 Roman Hierarchy no part 3l)6 ! of the true church, 135 209 Roman Saints, 267 157 Romish ancestors, 282 263 Romish legends, 180 263 Scandalous sins, 264 295 Schism, 132 57 Schisms among Papists, 67 234 Simony of Popes, 216 131 Sins of ignorance, 255 89 Sovereignty of the Pope, 131 266 Spanish armada, 305 266 Spiritual worship, 265 219 Succession of doctrines, 249 299 Succession of ministers, 203 308 Succession of Popes, 142 266 Thecla's miracles, ISO 291 Tradition, 120 219 Translations of the Bible, 198 JTransubstantiation, 251 69 1 Uncertainty of Romanism, 135 45 Uncharitableness of Popery, 252 248 Uncleanness sanctioned by 3.1 2| Popery, 288 Unfair disputants, 225 Ungodly Popes, 297}Unholiness of Rome, 1 [6 Unmarried Priests, 187i Veneration of relics, 178, Venial sins, 303 Vices of Romish Priests, 210 308 153 303 64 163 Vizors of Jesuits, Waldenses, Wealth of convents, Wicked men not Christian believers, William Perry, 225 293 215 60 221 166 264 220 297 310 202 275 184 ADDRESS TO THE MINISTERS, OFFICERS, AND MEMBERS OF ALL THE PROTESTANT CHURCHES IN THE UNITED STATES. The rapid increase of the Papal Apostacy, and of the principles of Jesuitism, in our Republic, is the most astonishing modern development of " the Mystery of Iniquity." Viewed in reference only to civil society, nothing can be more contradictory to all reasonable anticipation, than that Popery should have been able to force an admission into our community; much less that it should have been acceptable to American Citi- zens. Our whole national polity is so widely severed from the entire system of Romanism, under every pos- sible modification, that the correct motives, and the true causes, should be ascertained and specified, for that astounding aberration from rectitude, self-interest and decorum, the existence of which, the present appalling predominance of Popery, and the evident extending sway of the Roman Pontiff throughout our land, so unequivocally shows. The inquiry is often propounded — how can the ex- traordinary spread of Popery, and the manifest multi- plication of the Papists be rationally accounted for in the present state of our country ? It is often said in reply, that the increase of Papal vassals in the United States, results entirely from foreign immigration, and tfie expenditure of European money. Admit that the former of those causes augments the number of Roman devotees ; and that the latter enables the Jesuits to erect male and female convents, and seminaries — neverthe- less both do not exhibit the whole existing relative Vlll INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. position of the Pontifical authority in our confede- rated republics. Two anomalous facts undeniably declare, that other causes are in operation which give life and encourage- ment to the efforts that Roman Priests and disguised Jesuits make to subjugate these States to the Italian Pontiff. Neither the crowds of Papists who are con- stantly arriving, nor the sums of money which are regularly transmitted from Europe, at all account for the peculiar favor with which Romanism is regarded, and the special solicitude which so many citizens ex- emplify to propitiate its priests. Nor do those princi- ples afford any plausible solution of another mysterious circumstance ; that the whole body of American citi- zens are manifestly imbued with an overpowering dread of the malign influence, and appalling machinations of the Papists. There has been a general neglect of that department of ecclesiastical literature which comprises the history of the Christian church, and especially of that portion of it which appertains to the Papal hierarchy. Except in a few more prominent stations, Popery was almost un- known in the United States, until subsequent to our last contest with Britain ; nor had its progress attracted any marked interest, until about six years ago, it was first proposed, that an attempt should be made to direct the attention of the Protestant churches to the charac- ter, wiles and pernicious acts of the grand apostate ene- my of the kingdom of God. From that cause, the re- eent polemical discussions concerning the "lying won- ders and strong delusion" of Pontifical Rome have either been disregarded or opposed ; and there is an almost universal dearth of information respecting the Scriptural prophecies and delineations of that enemy of H our Lord, and of his Christ,' 1 who is generically de- INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. IX nominated "the Man of sin;" the "scarlet colored Beast full of names of blasphemy, having seven heads and ten horns" — and "Mystery, Babylon the great ; Mother of Harlots and the abominations of the earth." It is also not a little perplexing, that the Apocalypse, to the reading and hearing of the words of which book alone of the sacred canon, a unique blessing is attached by the u Faithful Witness, and prince of the kings of the earth" — the Apocalypse, or the revelation of John is far less studied in its connection with the past annals of the Christian church, than any other portion of " the oracles of God." Hence, there is an almost universal ignorance or misconception of the genuine attributes and ungodly proceedings of the Romish " seducing spirits, and false teachers, who speak lies in hypocrisy." The predominating sensibility throughout the Amer- ican Protestant churches is an undeflnable dread of the Pope's vassals who are domiciliated among us. From which cause, public controverted discussions of the dog- mas, superstitions, frauds, and corruptions of Pope?y and Jesuitism are sternly counteracted. Publications both in the form of volumes and periodicals are slighted and decried. Houses of prayer are premptorily refused for the purpose of preaching the Gospel of Christ in illustration of Scriptural predictions — and not only is every effort to arouse the slumbering disciples repelled ; but those Watchmen, who M see the sword coming upon the land, and blow the trumpet to warn the people," are censured and denounced, as if they were disturbers of the public peace. This is not the work of our Romish inveterate ad- versaries. Having latterly discovered that their scorn- ful superstition of Protestants excited both disgust and alarm, the Jesuits now have become comparatively lamb-like, and "beguile with enticing words." They X INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. perceive that the cause of their foreign despot, the Ro- man Pontiff, is more efficiently promoted in this republic, by their deceptions than by their menaces ; and through their covert artifices, than with open assault. The com- bined apathy and opposition of Protestant Ministers and other influential professed adherents of the Refor- mation are consolidating the Papal system, and facili- tate its enlargement and sway throughout the United States, far more than all the priest-ridden multitudes, who are transported from Europe : and all the treas- ures which pontifical ambition and ignorant bigotry can squander, upon the marvellous design to subjugate the minds and hearts, the bodies and souls of American citizens to the accursed iron yoke of Pope Gregory. Whence does this slavish fear of the Papists eman- ate? There is a deep-rooted impression that the vas- sals of Rome are a turbulent, lawless, and ferocious confederacy, who are impelled by an unpricipled priest- hood. What are the Jesuits and Dominicans? Men who know no authority but the supreme pontifical man- date ; who are united to mankind by none of the nat- ural bonds of relationship; who have no motive of ac- tion but personal indulgence, and the aggrandizement of their craft; and who being exempt from all govern- ment, except that of their ecclesiastical superiors, and having no permanent residence, because they are al- ways subject to the order of removal from their prelat- ical master ; constantly, and in every place, are ihe enemies of all that portion of the human family who will not submit to their infernal despotism. Therefore, timid Protestants conclude, that it is preferable not to irritate the Beast, lest they should feel the compound anguish arising from the Bear's gripe, and the Lion's mouth, inflicted with leopard-like suddenness and fero- city. Baxter has luminously depicted that absurdity. INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. XI " Some think that it is the safest way to please the Pope and Jesuits; and so will be Papists," or support their cause, " on the same terms that some of the Indians worship the devil, because he is so naught, that he may not hurt them." If we reflect upon the present situa- tion of Jesuitism in this republic, it is scarcely credible, that the revered author of the " Juggling of Jesuits," one hundred and eighty years ago could have so pre- cisely described existing realities. Vast numbers of Protestants, act upon the same principle, as the man who bowed to the images of Jupiter and Satan. When he was reproved for his infatuation ; he retorted ; " It is impossible to know what may happen, or where we may go ; so it is best to have friends in every place." But who can estimate the mischiefs that follow from the large donations which are made not only by merely nominal Protestants, but also by actual members of the Reformed churches, towards the erection of those idol- atrous temples where the Romish superstitious cere- monial is performed ? In many places throughout our land, the sites of the edifices or materials for the erec- tion of them, or money to pay the mechanics, have been profusely lavished by the avowed followers of Christ, to complete Mass houses and Jesuit male and female convents. To admit that those donors thus be- stowed their gifts from a profound non-acquaintance with Popery is an impeachment of their rationality; and yet to suppose that they have thrown away their superfluous wealth from a predilection for Romanism, or from a supposition that it is Christianity, altogether makes void their sincerity. Whatever may be the cause, the effects are most pernicious. The energies of the Protestant champions are enfeebled, and tht* power of the Roman Priests is invigorated and be- comes more extensive and unshaken. Xll INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. Since the commencement of the more direct " war upon the Beast," in America, nearly six years have passed away ; and two facts have been elicited from the occurrences which have transpired. The vast majority of American citizens, and even of American christians are nearly altogether ignorant of Popery — and a spuri- ous liberalism prevails throughout our country ; which unfolds itself nearly in our Lord's graphical descrip- tion of the ancient Jewish blind guides — " who strained at a gnat and swallowed a camel." It is demonstrable, that each of those principles, and especially both them conjoined, must have a decisively injurious tendency upon the churches of Christ. Po- pery, through their joint operation, is considered to be either harmless and so may be tolerated without oppo- sition ; or it is viewed as a species of modified Christi- anity, which demands our occasional conformity with its principles and ritual. Such a contradictory inter- pretation of Scripture can arise only from entire igno- rance of the tenth, and the subsequent chapters of the Apocalypse. However incompetent through our finite judgments, we may be to determine the times and sea- sons, and also some of the prophetical figures, with the application of them ; yet one thing is certain as de- rived from the whole tenor of the sacred volume; that idolatry is a crime most abhorent to Jehovah; that the system of Popery is doomed by God to utter de- struction ; and that all Papists being idolaters, unless they come out of Babylon the Great, will be " partakers of her sins, and will receive of her plagues." The erroneous judgment that is formed of the genuine attributes of Romanism is both the cause and the effect of that false charity which urges so many of our citi- zens to look with complacency upon that antichristian system, and to consider it on account of its fraudulent INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. Xlll appellative, as an emanation from " the glorious Gospel of the ever blessed God." The same combined delusion and fondness for its pageantry, its music, its ornaments, and its shows, actuate that resistance which is so general, and so con- tinuously displayed, to the use of evangelical means for the overthrow of Popery. Indeed it seems to be entirely forgotten, by almost all orders of people both within the church, and in the world; that "the work- ing of Satan" is a most alarming curse to every nation who tolerate and succumb to it ; and that " the testi- mony of Jesus which is the spirit of prophecy" has dis- tinctly foretold that the admission and progress of " the mystery of iniquity" among any community is a deci- sive expression of the displeasure of Jehovah, designed by him as a punishment for their transgressions and their sins. Thus the Apostle Paul, 2 Thessalonians, 2: 10 — 12; emphatically declares — " They received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. For this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie; that they all may be damned, who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness." This reflection is peculiarly impressive, if considered in connection with the retributive dispensations of the Omnipotent Governor. We have always boasted of the unequalled illumination and freedom which over- spread our country ; and the questions instantly arise ; has that light been duly improved t has that liberty been used for evangelical objects, and according to di- vine prescriptions t Reflect upon the contrast. Popery is a system of darkness and slavery, mental, bodily and spiritual. No- thing more directly at the antipodes to all our republi- 2 XIV INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS, can civic theories in legislation and political economy can possibly be imagined, than the dogmas, injunctions and appointments of the Court of Rome, exclusive of their total contradiction to Christianity; and yet that " Son of Perdition," who has withered the comforts, blasted the prosperity, promoted the contentions, extin- guished the improvements, polluted with blood, and be- cause it is a ceaseless God-robber, Malachi 3: 8, 9. has "cursed with a curse," during the last twelve hun- dred years, every one of the ten kingdoms of the Beast, is now nourished in this country as if he were " the Friend of sinners, and the Prince of Peace." Those irreconcilable contradictions between all that Americans exult in, of the rights of conscience, and civil liberty, when contrasted with the gloom and vassalage of the Papacy, combine the most intensely exciting in- quiries in reference to the prospective advances of the pontifical predominance throughout our land. Here we have a fact, which in its primary aspect appears to be utterly inexplicable — that men who are sensitive beyond description to the least apparent infringement of their privileges by their own elected official person- ages; at the same time deliberately choose and obsti- nately encourage the grasping usurpations of a foreign despotic potentate; whose boundless arrogance claims thejllimitable control of all the affairs of every indi- vidual not only during his earthly pilgrimage, but throughout eternal ages ; and also assumes to determine and regulate not merely his own forced and voluntary minions, but the concerns of all the tribes of mankind, without a murmur of resistance, and forever. Whether the supreme and all righteous arbiter of human transactions would alarm us by the fearful inti- mation that he can permit men voluntarily so to blind themselves, that they will aid the tyrant to forge the INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. XV chains which shall fetter themselves, and build the pri- son for their own incarceration, and manufacture the scourges with which themselves shall be lacerated ; is a topic which demands serious investigation, and may properly excite penitent humility. The signs of the times are full of melancholy portents for the American churches ; and that light of which in one aspect we have boasted, and in another, endeavored to extinguish, is rapidly becoming obscured by the smoke of the bot- tomless pit : and that liberty which has been so per- verted into licentiousness on one side, and been so grievously despoiled on the other, seems to be gradu- ally transforming into the feudal bondage of the dark ages, when a Monk's cowl was the highest object of reverence, and a Friar's approbation was the most richly valued possession. If we were asked for an example of human depra- vity which should be too palpable to admit either of denial or proof, we would adduce the present condi- tion of Popery in the United States. No other reason can be assigned for the progress which it has made, and the cordiality with which it has been received; than the sanction which indirectly by example, and im- mediately by its accommodating doctrines and license, that "all deceivableness of unrighteousness" imparts to every unhallowed indulgence. Popery is silently but gradually undermining all the moral principles of our people. " The leaven, the doctrine of the Phari- sees and of the Sadducees" almost imperceptibly, except unto a very perspicacious observer, is embittering and corrupting our whole code of ethics, both theoretical and in practice. Examine three facts in connexion with the fourth, seventh, ;uul ninth commandments. What has been the prime cause of that vast addition to the sabbath break- XVI INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. ing which in our large cities especially has transform- ed the latter half of the Lord's day into one unrestricted scene of sensual revelry. What are the Sunday eve- ning u Sacred Concerts/' as they are called, but an ex- cuse for the continued perpetration of the regular disso luteness of the other six days, with the scene and place only shifted from the seductive theatre to the fascinating garden. This is a master-piece of satan ; to gild over sabbath breaking with a pretended sacred concert: as if any thing could be sacred, where theatrical profli- gates perform, and notorious " lovers of pleasure" re- sort. But it is the genuine effect of Popery. The Papist's sabbath ends as soon as mass is closed; and then every species of inordinate gratification may be indulged with impunity. The desecration of the Lord's day is one of the indelible and most obvious features of the Popedom ; and as the natural and inevitable conse- quence, infidelity, and all diversified ungodliness with their ineffable evils speedily overflow the land. It being also proper to be remembered, that this dishonor of the Lord's day, so far from being condemned by the Papal creed, is an essential ingredient in their system, and from their superstitions inseparable. The transgression of the seventh commandment is indissolubly conjoined with Popery. That character- istic of the Romish apostacy is declared by both the Apostles Paul and John, to be an infallible mark of the mystical Babylon; and according to the testimony of the Papal historians, the Scriptural delineations are most minutely accurate. That the various crimes and the scandalous disorders, which are implied in the Lord's mandate, are increasing not only in frequency, but also in openness, and likewise in aggravated enor- mity, is a fact which is so obvious, that alas! it requires no evidence to verify its melancholy truth. Can it be INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. xvil believed, that Jesuitism is not principally chargeable with this awfully wide spreading desolation? Do not the Jesuit Priests teach, that many of the sins of unchastity are merely venial ? are they not pardoned for a slight penance 1 are not dispensations for all past delinquencies sold for a trifle? Cannot indulgence for one or more years, be obtained for a given price, which permits the purchaser to violate the law of God as often as he pleases, and promises him exemption from the divine displeasure ? When we remember the propor- tion of Papists in our large cities and towns, is it possi- ble that such an irreligious and contaminating system should exist, and be in full operation among them, and that all other persons should escape the infectious con- tagion ? Is it conceivable that the large multitudes of sinners who are anxious to live unrestrained by the ju- risdiction of Jehovah will not be gratified, without ex- amining its genuineness, with a pretended Christianity, which tolerates them in every licentious practice, and which guarantees their eventual security, through the power of a Priesthood so condescending to human pro- pensities, and whose beneficence is so cheaply pur- chased ? But probably surveyed in all their operations in civil society throughout our Federal Republic, the doctrines and practices of the Jesuits and other Roman Priests, and their devotees, respecting the ninth commandment, are more pernicious than even the desecration of the Sabbath, and the deluge of impurity with which they are desolating public morals and decorum. The equiv- ocations, mental reservations, nullifying of oaths, in- fringement of covenants, and in short, all the innumer- able modes which those deceivers have invented to in- validate apparently the most solemn obligations, and 2* XV111 1NTR0DCCT0RY ADDRSS^ yet to remove any dread of guilt from the Falsifiers j are the most awful proofs of outrageous impiety, and daring perfidy which are found among human annals. Yet all those perjuries of the most flagrant character are constantly perpetrated in the United States, and by all classes of Papists, not only with impunity ; but with the approbation and according to the instruction of their Priests. Can those barefaced violations of truth and sincerity be openly displayed without injury to others who witness them? Can the doctrine that the Roman Pontiff and his subordinate priests can nullify an oath or a contract ; and dispense with the most solemn ob- ligations, and authorize deliberate perjury, be openly taught as a part of the Romish Religion, without dete- riorating the minds and consciences of men not possess- ed of that fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom? Lying and false swearing are essential to the very existence of Popery. It must also be remembered, that tius Sabbath-break- ing, uncleanness, and deception are taught in all the Seminaries and Convents whether of boys or girls in this Union. It is of no importance, by what name those institutions are known ; Jesuit Priests and Ursuline Nuns substantially impart the knowledge, and entice to the doing of ail that loathsome iniquity. This is one of the great prospective dangers to our country. Multitudes of youth and of the most influential rank in the American community recently have been and now are in the course of tuition under those consummate adepts in every diabolical art. From their course of tuition, all evangelical instruction is most cautiously excluded. The juvenile mind is enchanted with pomp and mummery ; and beguiled with blandishments, or menaced with alarm, or operated upon by both alter- nately, until the creature has become a mere machine INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. XlX which the priestly artificer adapts to any purpose that may promote his designs or gratify his vicious desires. All that youth truly learn in any Jesuit insti- tution, whether it be a college or nunnery, is the most efficient manner to impose upon the world around them. That is beyond all dispute the most dangerous of all the results which flow from those monastic establish- ments, in which Protestant boys and girls are immur- ed. There they learn every possible abomination ; and also are taught every ingenious device by which they can elude discovery in the midst of their crimes: and deceive all persons who are not minutely conversant with their chicanery and turpitude. Jesuitism cannot proceed onward in its progress throughout our country, as it has done for the last ten years without speedily illustrating its baneful effects, in the increasing indifference of the public to sterling knowledge; in growing immorality; in prevailing scepticism; in a silent but systematic and deadly change in the spirit of our statute laws ; and in an accelerating corruption and debasement of the national character. Jesuitism cannot exercise its present wicked influ- ence many years longer before the Christian churches will find themselves cowering to the audacity, and writhing under the usurpations of those vile emissaries of the Roman Pontiff. It is therefore " high time to awake out of sleep, to cast off the works of darkness, and to put on the ar- mor of light. 11 The welfare of the community and the vital interests of the Christian churches are deeply concerned in a prompt renovation of the character and actions of Protestants in reference to Popery. Two measures are indispensable. An accurate and a gen- eral acquaintance with the qualities and mischievous effects of the grand apostacy ; and the adoption of XX INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. efficient and evangelical means to counteract and di- minish that unholy predominance which the Romish accursed despotism has already attained. The former course necessarily implies the dissemi- nation of knowledge by periodicals, standard volumes, and popular discussions, especially by lectures on the prophecies which advert to Romanism. The latter comprises a correct understanding of the evils which flow from the existence of Popery in its connection with civil society, and of the proper methods to extirpate that insidious poison which it infuses into the whole mass of the community, and by which their energies are paralyzed, and the system corrupted with a loathsome and direful mortification. With this point however the Christian churches, in their associated relations cannot interfere. No man wishes to infringe upon the rights of conscience; and no citizen would be willing to rebuild the dungeous, forge the fetters, shar- pen the sword, and kindle the fires of Dominican In- quisitors, and Papal Butchers. It may confidently be anticipated that the coflagrations of the Auto da Fe, and the indiscriminate massacre of Protestants by the blood-hounds of the Mother of Harlots, who furnished the blood of the Saints with which she became drunken, have passed away not to be reiterated. But the events which have occurred since the commencement of that shaking of the nations, the French Revolution in 1789, not only in France; but also in Spain, Portu- gal, Italy and Austria, assure us ; that the Romish priestly assassins will not surrender their stilettos, their poison, their frauds, and their long enjoyed su- premacy without a struggle ; which although it will terminate in their overthrow, will previously have con- vulsed the nations who had submitted to them to their centre; and will spread desolation, anguish, penury INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. XXI and slaughter, through all their boundaries, to the ut- most extremity. The United States of America will not escape the experience of the storm and the wo, in exact proportion to the number of the Papal Ecclesias- tics, and the extent to which their power and abomina- tions have controlled throughout our country-. It is therefore desirable to promulge among our churches a work that exhibits in the most compendious form the various artifices by which the emissaries of the Roman Pontiff en-deavor to delude the unwary to their ruin ; thereby to enlighten those who are not acquainted with the fallacies and the Popish corrup- tions ; and also to excite becoming watchfulness on the part of the Protestant churches against the snares of their insidious foes. For that purpose, the best proba- bly of all the controversial disquisitions by the immor- tal Richard Baxter was selected. During the civil commotions in Britain which followed the lawless and destructive exhibitions of " King craft," by James I. and Charles I. the Jesuits attempted to increase the ferment, and the divisions among the Protestants, that the unthinking multitudes, weary of their unceasing commotions, might for quietude as they supposed, take refuge in a Jesuit's absolution, and within the turrets of Babylon. The authentic history of that period cer- tifies that to accomplish their schemes, every subter- fuge and trick were adopted by those ingenious and fox-like masters of fraud and deception. They had re- ceived dispensations from the Pope and the General of their order to wear every kind of vizor, to appear in all sorts of disguise, to assume any name or profession, and to perpetrate every possible crime so as to promote the grand scheme, the restoration of the Pontifical au- thority throughout those kingdoms. In consequence of those Papal indulgences, Jesuits XX11 INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. were found in all characters ; and always exceeding in extravagance even the wildest effervescence of those who felt more than ordinary excitement during that agitated period. It was then partially known, and has since been amply ascertained and proved : that Nuns obtruded themselves among the female followers of George Fox, and that many of the scandalous public exhibitions of women in a state of nudity were by those well trained prostitutes of the Romish Priests. The leaders also of those minor sects who promulged as their cardinal tenet, a community of property and sex- ual intercourse, were chiefly Jesuits and Nuns, or oth- ers whom they had artfully selected as suitable tools to carry on their pernicious schemes. Many of those who pretended to be preachers of different sects, and who were distinguished for the infuriated extravagance of their opinions, and the apparent madness of their be- haviour, were Roman Priests and Monks; who had but one design, to augment the national discord, to dis- grace Protestantism, to deceive the ignorant, and thus to proselyte the people to the Roman superstitions. Baxter wrote the ensuing work expressly to unfold their wickedness : and it is a lasting memento, that Po- pery is immutable in its treachery and ungodliness. The attentive American Reader of the " Juggling of Jesuits, 1 '' and the specifications of the "Forty Popish Frauds 11 which Richard Baxter has detected and dis- closed ; will be deeply impressed with the exact simili- tude which there is between the period of Oliver Crom- well's supremacy in Britain, and the principles and acts of the Jesuits in this republic. Admitting even that a modern polemic could have composed a volume exactly identical in fervor and in materials, it w r ould not have been in any way so impressive as this devel- opment of the spirit, and practices of Jesuitism, which INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. XX111 was first published one hundred and eighty years since ; and which is as exactly adapted to the present situation of Romanism in the United States, as if it had been com- posed under the superintendence of the spirit of proph- ecy, or as if it had been a philosophical and historical delineation of a preexistent controversy. Among the multifarious polemical works in refer- ence to Romanism, and the means which its treacher- ous partizans use to disseminate it in this country, it is believed that no treatise could be selected which pre- sents stronger claims upon the attention of the ministers, officers, and members of the American churches, than this display ot " Jesuitical Juggling" by Richard Bax- ter. Not only does he confute the system of Popery as incurably corrupt and totally anti-christitm, by a few concise arguments, which all can comprehend ; but he also describes the dexterous artifices of the Jesuits so lucidly and in such diversified forms, that none can deny the accuracy of the narrative ; and no one can plead an excuse for being ensnared by their " sleight and cunning craftiness, whereby they lay in wait to deceive." It is deliberate treason to the Lord of all, or it is ju- dicial infatuation in all those ministers and members of the Christian churches, who assert that the alarm re- specting Popery is fictitious, and that the battle with Jesuitism has not yet to be fought in this Union. Are there not at the present hour, probably twelve hundred thousand Papists in the United States, with half a mil- lion more in Canada at the North, and several millions adjoining on the South West in Mexico ? Are not France and Spain, and Portugal, and Ireland, and Austria, constantly disgorging the very dregs of Rom- ish ecclesiastical corruption in the shape of Monks and XXIV INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS. Nuns upon our land and in a continuously augment- ing- stream f Monks and Nuns also of such abandoned profligacy, that even those pitiable priest-ridden slaves could no longer tolerate their turpitude, or their existence among them ? The time will speedily arrive when their morbid influence will be felt by the body politic, and their iron grasp will convince our citizens that if they would preserve their rights and enjoy the gospel, they must "put on the whole armour of God, and wres- tle against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual wickednesss in high places." Therefore Ministers and Churches! hear the words of " the son of God, the Amen, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire." — "I have a few things against you, because you suffer that woman Jezabel, who calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my ser- vants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols. Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die. Be zealous therefore and repent! He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches!" EPISTLE DEDICATORY TO RICHARD CROMWELL. These papers tender you their service, because the subject of thvm so nearly concerneth both us and you, that you should be well acquainted with them. The Roman Canons that batter the unity, Catholicism, and purity of the Church of Christ, are mounted on the frame which I have here demolished. The swords and pens, and tongues that you are now engaged against, and which you must expect henceforth to assault you, are whetted and managed by the senseless, tyrannous, ungodly principles which 1 have here detected. Un- reasonable as they appear to the unprejudiced, they have animated the studies and diligent endeavors of thousands to captivate the princes and nations of the earth to the Roman yoke. Vain as they appear to us that see them naked, they have divided and distracted the churches of Christ, and troubled and dethroned princes, and laid them at the feet of the Roman Pope. They have absolved subjects from their oaths and other obligations to fidelity; and have involved many na- tions in blood. O the streams of the blood of saints that have been shed by Roman principles, in Savoy, France, Bohemia, Poland, Germany, Ireland, England, and many other lands! The war I here manage, is against those adverse principles that have armed thousands and millions against the innocent, or against their lawful sovereigns, whom God had bound them to obey. They have fastened knives in the breasts of the greatest kings, as the lamentable cases of Henry the Third and Fourth of France do testify. They have, in a few days time, in Paris, and the adjoining parts of France, perfidiously butchered nobles, and other persons of eminence, and people of all sorts, to the number of forty thousand. The doctrines which I here confound, have invaded England by a Spanish armada, by the Pope's consent, and upon the account of religion. They have prepared 3 26 EPISTLE knives and poison for our princes, which God did frus- trate. They have laid gunpowder to blow up king and parliament, and hellishly execute the fury of the delu- ded zealots in a moment, and then charged the Puritans with the fact. In a time of peace, by a sudden insurrec- tion, they murdered so many thousands in Ireland in a few days or weeks as posterity will scarcely believe. They are dreadful practicals, and not mere speculations, that we dispute against. 1 beseech you, therefore, that you receive not this as you would do a scholastic or philosophical disputation about such things as seem not to concern you ; but as you would interest yourself in a disputation upon the question, whether you should be murdered as a heretic, and whether we should be tormented and burnt as heretics, and whether the lives of all the princes and people upon earth, whom the Pope judgeth heretics, should be at his mercy. I speak not this to provoke you to deal bloodily with them, as they do with the servants of the Lord ! # I abhor the thought of imitating their cruelty! It is only the ne- cessary defence of your life and dignity, and the lives of all the Protestants that are under your protection and government, and the souls of men, that I desire. On what terms we stand with those men whose religion teacheth them to kill us if they can, and to venture their lives for it, is easy to understand. When we have no security from them for our lives, but their inability to destroy us, w r e must disable them or die. I utter not melancholy dreams nor slanders. I have here show r ed it in the plain and copious decrees of ihe approved General Council at Lateran,thatthe deposing of princes, and absolving their subjects from their fidelity, and giving their dominions to others, not only for supposed heresy, but for not exterminating such as deny transub- stantiation, &c, is an article of their faith: and no man can disown it without disowning Popery in the essen- tials. If once they will renounce the decrees of general councils approved by the Pope, we shall be soon agreed. Costerus, Enchirid. cap. 1, p. 46, saith ; Qua, sane de- creta si veritatem, si obsignationem Spiritus Sancti, si prasentiam Christi spectes, idem habtnt pondus et mo- mentum quod Sa?icta Dei Evangelia ; " which decrees, DEDICATORY* 27 if you advert to the truth, or the seal of the Holy Spirit, or the presence of Christ, have the same authority as the holy gospel of God." They believe those decrees to be as true as the gospel. Bozius Hostiensis, and many more of them make the Pope to be the Lord of all the world. Bellarmin and the stronger side do carry it as the common judgment of all Catholic di- vines ; see what a rabble he heaps up. De Pontif. Rom. li. 5, c. 1, that the Pope ratione spiritualis, habet saltern inclirecte potestatem quandam, eamque summam in tern- poralibus ; "by reason of his spiritual office, has the chief power in temporal affairs!" Which, cap, 6, he saith, is just such over princes as the soul hath over the body or sensitive appetite; and that thus he may change kingdoms, and take them from one and give them to another, as the chief spiritual prince, if it be but necessary to the safety of souls. Cap. 7. Whether the Pope do take your government to be for the good of souls, I need not tell you. It is the stupendous judg- ment of God on Christian princes for their sins, that they have been so far blinded as to endure such a usurper so long, and have not before this blotted out his name from among the sons of men. It is not law- ful , saith Bellarmin, ib. c. 7, for Christians to tolerate an infidel, or heretical king, if he endeavor to draw his subjects to his heresy or unbelief: but to judge whether a king do draw to heresy or not, belongeth to the Pope, to whom the care of religion is committed : therefore it belongs to the Pope to judge a king to be deposed, or not deposed. You see here it is not lawful for such Christians as the Papists to tolerate you ; which may help your judgment in the point of their toleration. Si Christiani, saith Bellar. ib. olim non deposuerunt Nero- nem — Valerdem Ariamim et similes, id fnit quia dee- rant vires temporales Christianis ; "if Christians for- merly did not depose Nero, Valens the Arian, and others, it was because they were deficient in temporal power!" You have your government, and we our lives, because the Papists are not strong enough. They tell you what to trust to. Toilet, one of the best Jesuits, li. 1. de Instruct. Sacerd. c. 13, saith; They that were bound by the bond of fidelity or oath, shall he freed 28 EPISTLE from such a bond, if he fall into excommunication : and during that, debtors are absolved from the obligation of paying to the creditor that debt that is contracted by words. These are no private, ineffectual opinions. Pope Pius V. himself, in his bull against Queen Eliza- beth, saith ; We will and command thatthe subjects take arms against that heretical and excommunicated queen. But their cruelty to mens' souls and the Church of Christ, doth yet much more declare their uncharitable- ness. It is a point of their religion to believe that no man can be saved but the subjects of their Pope. Knott, and a late pamphlet called " Questions for Resolution of unlearned Protestants, &c," and Bishop Morton hath recited the words of Lindanus, Valentia, and Vasquez.- Apol. lib. 2, c. 1, defining it to be of necessity to salva- tion, to be subject to the Roman Bishop. Would not a man think, that for such horrid doctrines, as damn the far greatest part of Christians in the world, they should produce at least some probable arguments'? But what they have to say, I have here faithfully detected. If we will dispute with them, or turn to them, the scripture must be no further judge than as their church expound- eth it. The judgment of the ancient, yea, or present church, they utterly renounce ; for the far greatest part is known to be against the headship of their Pope : and therefore they must stand by for heretics. Tradition itself they dare not stand to, except themselves be judges of it; for the greatest part of Christians profess that tradition is against the Roman Vice-Christ. The in- ternal sense and experience of Christians they gainsay; concluding all besides themselves to be void of charity or saving grace ; which many thousands of holy souls do find within them, that never believed in the Pope. Yea, when we are content to lay our lives on it, that we will show them the deceit of Popery, as certainly and plainly as bread is known to be bread when we see it, feel, and taste it, and as wine is known to be w T ine when we see and drink ; yet do they refuse even the judgment of sense, of all mens' senses, even their own and others. So that we must renounce our honesty, our knowledge of ourselves, our senses, our reason, the common expe- rience and senses of all men, and the judgment of the DEDICATORY. 29 far greatest part of the present church, or else by the judgment of the Papists we must all be damned. Whether such opinions as those should by us be un* contradicted, or by you be suffered to be taught your subjects, is easy to discern. If they had strength, they would little trouble us with disputing. Nothing is more common in their writers than that the sword or fire is fitter for heretics than disputes. This is but their after- game. Though their church must rule princes, as the soul ruleth the body, yet it must be by secular power. Excommunication doth but give fire ; lead and iron do the execution. When they are themselves disabled, it is their way to strike us by the hands and swords of one another. He that saw England, Scotland, and Ire- land awhile ago in blood, and now sees the lamentable case of so many Protestant princes and nations destroy- ing one another, and thinks that Papists have no hand in contriving, counselling, and instigating, or executing, is a stranger to their principles and practices. Observing, therefore, that of all the sects that we are troubled with, there is none but the Papist that disputeth with us with flames and gunpowder, with armies and navies at their backs, having so many princes, and so great revenues for their provision ; I have judged it my duty to detect the vanity of their cause. We earnestly request, that you will, resolvedly, adhere to the cause of truth and holiness, and afford the reformed churches abroad the utmost of your help for their concord and defence, and never be tempted to own an interest that crosseth the interest of Christ. How many thousands are studiously contriving the extirpa- tion of the Protestant churches from the earth ? How many princes are confederate against them ? The more will be required of you for their aid. The serious en- deavors of your renowned father, Oliver Cromwell, for the Protestants of Savoy, hath won him more esteem than all his victories. We humbly request, that you will faithfully ad- here to those that fear the Lord in your dominions. In your eyes let a vile person be contemned ; but honor them that fear the Lord. Psal. xv. 4. Know not the wicked; but let your eyes be upon the faithful of the 3* 30 EPISTLE land. Psal. ci. 4. 6. Compassionate the weak and curable. Punish the incurable: restrain the fro ward, but love and cherish the servants of the Lord. They are, under Christ, the honor and the strength of the commonwealth It was a wise and a happy king that professed that his good should extend to the saints on earth, and the excellent, in whom was his delight. Psal. xvi. 2, 3. This strengthening of the vitals is one of the chief means to keep out Popery and all other danger- ous diseases. We see few understanding godly people receive the Roman infection, but the profane, licen- tious, ignorant, or malignant that are prepared for it. We earnestly request your utmost care, that we may be ruled by godly, faithful magistrates, under you; and that your wisdom and vigilance may frustrate the subtilty of masked Papists or Infidels, that would creep into places of council, command, or justice, or any pub- lic office. If ever such as those should be our rulers, we know what we must expect. The reasons of our jealousies of such men are, because we know that the design is agreeable to their principles and interests. We know it is their usual course : and we find that such men swarm among us. We hear their words: we read their writings, we see their practices for Popery and Infidelity: The jealousies of many wise men in Eng- land are very great, concerning the present designs of this generation of men : and not without cause. We fear the masked Papists and Infidels more than the bare- faced enemy. The men that we are jealous of, and over whom we desire you to be vigilant, are those hiders, that purposely obscure and cover their religion. He that wilfully concealeth his faith, alloweth me to sus- pect it to be naught. Those men we are jealous of; and if ever you advance them into places of command or power, it will increase our jealousies. I have no per- sonal grudge to any of them. But the gospel, and the souls of men, and the hopes of our posterity, are not so contemptible as to be given away as a bribe to purchase those men's good will, or to stop their mouths, lest they should reproach us. As it i-s the common, but a poor redress, that after the massacres of thousands, the sur- viving Protestants have still had from the Papists, to DEDICATORY. 31 disclaim the fact, or cast it upon some rash, discontented men, which will not make dead men alive again. So will it be a poor relief to us, when those men are our masters, and have deprived us of all that was dear to us in the world, that we escaped their ill language while the work was doing. Papists disown abundance of the abominations which they propagate ; but as plain dealing in religion is bet- ter than juggling, so, we had rather that open Papists were tolerated, than those juggling deceivers. They that know the Jesuits and Friars, profess that they arc more common in princes, councils, and families, and in the houses, if not the closets of noblemen, commanders, and persons of public trust or service, than we that live and mean simply, do imagine. And who would have thought that had not known it, that they had so insinu- ated into the several sects among us, and that they were so industrious in their work, as the Newcastle Scottish Jew was, to be circumcised or become Jew, and then re-baptized, &c, and all to deceive? Judge how far their seductions are to be tolerated. They preach treason against princes and states as a principal part of their religion. Their doctrine corrupteth all morality, what need we fuller, clearer proof, than the Jansenian hath given us in his " Mystery of Jesuitism?" Morton hath long ago produced enough to tell us what to expect from such men. Apolog. part t. 1. 2. c, 13. Toilet, himself, 1. 4. de Instruct. Sacerd., c. 9, saith ; Quantum ad inientio- ncm dilectionis, non tencmur sub precepto Deutn plus omnibus diligere. " As to the intention of delight, we are not bound by the command to love God, more than others." Stapleton, 1. 6. de justif, c. 10., and Valent. 1. de Votis, c. 3, saith ; Hoc preceplum diligendi Deutn ex tola mente, doctrinale est, non obligalorium. M The precept t} love God with all the mind, is merely doctri- nal, and not obligatory." See here, a precept, and the greatest precept, even to love God above all, is not obli- gatory ? And p. 322, he reciteth the words of Toilet- ibid. 1. 4. c. 21, and 22; teaching equivocation upon oath before a magistrate, and so maintaining perjury, And p. 327, he citeth the same author, maintaining that OX EPISTLE DEDICATORY. murder and blasphemy, in a passion, and not delibe- rate, is no mortal sin, unless in one that is used to blas- pheme. And p. 3:29, Bellarm. Costerus, and Valentia maintain, that fornication in a priest, is better, or a smaller sin than to marry. The like he shows of their doctrine of theft, false witness, &c , p. 332, 333. &c. Above all their other mischiefs, the propagating of infidelity is the greatest. Under the vizor of infidels, they plead against scripture and Christianity, to loosen men from all religion, and persuade them that they must be infidels or papists. Veron and his followers have given them full directions to manage that design. And while with debauched consciences they thus per- suade men to be infidels in jest, they have made abun- dance such in true sadness; so that there are many such swarm among us, that sometimes seemed pious persons, that plead against Christianity itself. The leading papists seem to be Christians in jest, and infi- dels in good earnest themselves. If you ask who it is that presumeth thus to be your monitor ? It is one that serveth so great a master, that he thinks it no unwarrantable presumption in such a case to be faithfully plain with the greatest prince. It is one that stands so near eternity, where Lazarus shall wear the crown, that unfaithful man-pleasing would be to him a double crime. It is one that rejoiceth in the present happiness of England, and earnestly wisheth that it were but as well with the rest of the world : and that honoreth all the providences of God, by which we have been brought to what we are. He is one that concurring in the common hopes of greater blessings- yet to these nations under your government, and observ- ing your acceptance of the frequent addresses that from all parts of the land are made unto you, was encour- aged to concur with the rest, in the tender of his service. That the Lord will make you a healer and preserver of his churches here at home, and a successful helper to his churches abroad, is the earnest prayer of RICHARD BAXTER. PREFACE. The controversies here handled are those that still are making" the greatest combustions in the Christian world ; and yet they seem exceeding easy. I seldom meet with a learned Protestant but taketh Popery for such transparent fallacies, that he is little or no whit troubled with any doubtings in the business. We are confident of our own religion, because we believe the gospel: and we have no other rule and test of our religion : and we are confident that Popery is a deceit, because we both believe the gospel and the judg- ment of the ancient and present churches, and because we believe our sense itself. As sure as we know bread from flesh, and wine from blood, by seeing, tasting, &c, so sure know we that Popery is false. And if a contro- versy is not at an end, when it is brought to the judg- ment of all the senses of all the sound men in the world, it being about the object of sense, then we are past hope of ending controversies; and therefore, as we will not waste our time to dispute that snow is black, or the fire cold, no more will we trouble ourselves with those men that tell us that bread is not bread, and wine is not wine. Two things the Papists are still harping on. The first is, that in our way, we have no assurance that the Chris- tian religion is true, or that scripture is the word of God. Their second is, that thread-bare question, Where was your church before Luther? Where hath it been successively in each age ? And here mere sophistry carrieth it through the papal world, to the deluding of the simple, that are not able to see things for names. The men that ask us where our church and religion was, either know not, or will not let others know what our religion is. Show us, say they, a church in all ages that held all that the Protestants hold, or else they 34 PREFACE. were not Protestants. Forsooth, we must receive from them a definition of a Protestant, and then we must prove the succession of such. Know therefore, what is the thing whose succession is questioned. A Pro- testant is a Christian that holdeth to the holy scriptures, as the sufficient rule of faith and holy living, and pro- testeth against Popery. The Protestant churches are societies professing the Protestant's religion. The Pro- testant religion is an improper speech; but the Protest- ant's religion is a phrase that we shall own. For Pro- testancy is not our religion itself, but the rejection of Popish corruptions of religion or defiling additions. The Protestant's religion is the holy scriptures alone. The Papist's religion is all that is decreed by the Pope and councils. Our religion, contained in the scripture, hath its essentials and integrals. All the essentials and as much of the integrals as in the use of means we are enabled to understand, we believe particularly and ex- plicitly: the rest we believe generally and implicitly to be all true. The essentials of our religion are only the baptismal covenant expounded in the creed, Lord's Prayer, and Decalogue, as opened by Christ, the sum- maries of things to be believed, willed, and done: bap- tism being appointed by Christ himself, for the true and sufficient symbol of our faith, to put men into the right and possession of church communion ; and the depart- ing from this test or symbol, made by Christ himself, for this use, is the lacerating of the churches. But the whole scriptures contain more, even the integrals and accidentals of our religion. So that, aar the Papists will not permit us to take the writings of Gretser, Bellarmin, or any of their doctors, or the articles of their divines at Thoren, Ratisbon, &c, to be articles of their faith, but only those that are contained in general councils approved by the Pope ; so we require that they call nothing the articles of our faith, but what is contained in the said summaries and in the holy scriptures, which are the only rule of our en- tire religion. Do they know our religion better than we do ? The Christian religion hath been in all ages since Christ in visible societies. The religion of Protestants PREFACE. 35 is the Christian religion. Therefore, the religion of Protestants hath been in all ages since Christ, in visible societies. That religion which is contained in the holy scrip- ture, as its rule or sufficient revelation, hath been pro- fessed in all ages in visible churches; but the religion of Protestants is contained in the holy scriptures as its rule or sufficient revelation : therefore, the religion of Protestants hath been professed in all ages in visible churches. We name the societies from the places of their resi- dence. Our church began at Jerusalem, and thence was dispersed into Asia, Africa, and Europe. It hath continued in Syria, Ethiopia, Egypt, India, Greece, &c. If I could name but one nation that had been of my religion, I should suspect it were not the true religion. It is the Christian world that is instead of a catalogue to us. O but, say the jugglers, this is a general answer, to say you are Christians : there are more sorts of Chris- tians than one. I reply, it is the general or Catholic religion and church that we are speaking of; and, there- fore, if it were not such a general answer, it were not pertinent to the question. There are no sorts of true Christians but one ; that is, there is no essential difference among them. But may not Christians of several degrees of knowledge be in the same Catholic church ? Our question is not, where any sect, or any particular church hath had its succession; but where that Catholic church hath been, of which we are mem- bers. And surely Christ hath but one Catholic church. O but, say they, would you make men believe that Ethiopians, Armenians, Greeks, &c, are Protestants ? Is it the name of Protestants, or their Religion, that you would have us prove a succession of? Those de- ceivers cheat abundance of poor souls by this one device, even supposing that the word Protestant doth denominate our church from its essential parts, and so call for a catalogue of Protestants. But I would ask, whether we or they do belter know our religion ; and consequently what a Protestant is ? If they know it at all, it is from our writings or expres- sions 1 For they will not pretend without signs to S6 TREFACE. know our hearts, and that better than ourselves. A Protestant is a Christian that protesteth against Popery. Christianity is our religion. Protesting- against Popery is our rejection of your corruptions of religion. Men that never heard of the name of Papist or Protestant, may be of the same religion with us. If many nations of the world never received Popery, and we reject it; if they never knew it, and we know it and disown it: are we not both of one religion, even in the integrals? One man never heard of the leprosy: another catcheth it and is cured of it; and a third flieth from it and pre- venteth it; all those are truly sound men. When you call to us for a proof of our succession, either you mean it of the essentials of our religion and church, or of the negation of your corruptions. Either you mean it of the points that we are agreed in, or of those we differ in. Christianity we are agreed in; and that is our religion, and nothing but that. Protestancy is but our wiping off the dirt, that you have brought upon our religion. Is he not a man as well as you that will not tumble with you in the dirt, or go into your Pesthouse? If we know not our own religion, then we cannot tell it you: and then you cannot know it : but if we do know it, believe us when we profess our own belief. We own no religion but the Christian religion, nor any church but the Christian church, nor dream of any catholic church but one, containing all the true christians in the world, united in Jesus Christ the Head. We protest before men and Angels that it is the Holy Scriptures that are the law and rule and test of our religion ; and why are we not to be believed in this our own profes- sion, as well as you are in yours, when you make the decrees of Popes and councils to be your law and rule and tests? We perform therefore more than you demand. You ask us where was our church before Luther? and we answer where ever the Christian religion was, and the Holy Scriptures were received. But we tell you not only where our church and religion was, but where there were men that owned not your grand corruptions, more than we. What can you demand more of us, when you call for a succession of Protestants, than that PREFACE. 37 we tell you of a succession of christians of our religion who were not Papists, and against Popery, who therefore were of our integrity. Who knoweth not that the Abas- sines, Armenians, Egyptians, Greeks, &c, are against your Papal sovereignty, infallibility, and all that is by us renounced as essential to Popery, though not against every one of your anti-christian errors ? O, but, say the jugglers, those are not Protestants; they differ from you in many particulars. Call them by what name you please, they are anti-papists, or free from Popery, and then they are t>f our religion. But must the world be made to believe that all that we be- lieve is essential to our religion, and that no man that differeth from us can be of our religion, be the differ- ence ever so small? But, say they, tell us of a church that professes your articles. Silly deceivers! Do not those very articles profess that the " holy scripture containeth all things ne- cessary to salvation, so that whatever is not read there- in, nor may be proved thereby, is not to be required of any man that it should be believed as an article of the faith, or be thought requisite or necessary to salvation." We never took those articles instead of the Scripture, but the articles and all Protestants profess the Scripture to be the only entire rule and test of their faith and reli- gion. The substance of our articles may easily be proved to have been successively held by the church from the beginning; but it is not incumbent on us to prove that every word in the writings of every divine or church hath been so continued ; no more than you will own the writings of any divines or provincial sy- nods of your own, as being the rule of your faith. As you profess that the decrees of Popes and general councils approved by him, besides the Scriptures, are the rule and test of your religion ; so do we profess that the Scripture alone, with the law of nature, is the rule of ours. But, what ! say they, will you be ot the same church with Nestorians, Eutychians, and oth r heretics ? I answer; we will not take all for Nestorians, or Euty- chians, that a railer can call such, that never knew them, nor can prove it. Heretics, indeed, that deny any 4 K PREFACE. essential part of Christianity, are no Christians, and',- therefore, not of the church that we are of: but if you will call those heretics that have ali the essentials of Christianity, because they err in less points, vre know- that there are such in the Catholic church. We will be none of them ourselves, if we can escape it ; yet, indeed, we have no hope of escaping all error till we are per- fect in knowledge; but we will not run out of the family of God, because there are children and sick persons in it ; nor will we forsake the Catholic church because there are erring persons in it. O but, saith the Papist, we acknowledge not your distinction of points essential and not essential ; all points of faith are essential with us, and of necessity to salvation. That is such impudent and faithless juggling as may make one blush to think that Christianity hath such professors. The outside of that assertion damneth all the world who live to the use of reason. The inside of their deceitful meaning is almost clean contrary, and leaveth heathens and infidels in a state of salvation as well as Christians. It makes no one article of faith essential to a Christian, or to one that shall be saved : and turns the church into an invisible thing, clean con- trary to their own assertions of its visibility. Thus they wrangle themselves into a wood of contradictions and unchristian absurdities. The outside of their assertion is this ; that every point that we are bound to believe by a divine faith, is fundamental or essential to Christian faith, or of neces- sity to salvation : and if then no man breathing can be saved, for no man knoweth all that he is bound to know, no man believeth that which he understandeth not. It is impossible to believe that a proposition is a truth dis- tinctly and actually, when I understand not what the proposition is. That we all know but in part, even what we are obliged to know, no man will deny. All that God hath revealed in his word, is the matter of our faith. No man can say, I have no culpable ignorance of any one truth of God that I should believe. Had we been more perfect in our diligent studies and prayers, and use of all means ; and had we never sinfully griev- ed the spirit that should illuminate us, to say nothing PREFACE. 39 of our original sinful darkness, there is not one of us but might have known more than we do. If sin of the will and life be consistent with true faith, then some sin in the understanding is consistent with faith. But, ac- cording to the outside of their doctrine, no man that hath any sinful ignorance, and consequently, unbelief in his understanding, can be saved ; that is, no man in the world. If he that thinks he knoweth any thing, knoweth nothing as he ought to know, 1 Cor. viii. 2., what shall be said of those men that think they and all the church do know all things that they ought to know, and that their understandings have no sin ? And must we be of that faith that damneth all men, and of that church where none are saved ? As the outside of their assertions is made for a bug- bear to frighten fools, so the inside is this that heathens and infidels may be of their church, or saved, and that nothing of the Christian faith at all is necessary to salvation. For they tell us that they mean, that all points are of necessity, where they are sufficiently pro- posed, and men's ignorance is not invincible ; but where there is no sufficient proposal, but men's ignorance is invincible, or such as comes not from a wilful neglect of means, there no ignorance of the articles of faith is damnable, and so no article absolutely necessary. Hence, the question indeed is not whether men believe or not, but whether they are unbelievers or heathens, or ignorant persons, by a wilful negleet.of sufficiently proposed truth, or not. So that all that part of the heathen or infidel world that have no proposal of the Gospel, may not only be saved, but be better and safer than Christians, who certainly are ignorant of some truth which they ought to know. But, say they, it will not stand with faith to deny be- lief to God in any thing sufficiently revealed ; for he that believeth him in one thing, believeth him in all. Very true, if they know it to be the word of God And if this be all, Protestants believe every thing with- out exception which they know to be a divine revela- tion ; and no wonder, for so doth every man that believes that there is B Qod, and that he is no liar. Bui may il not stand with faith to be ignorant, and that through 10 PREFACE. sinful neglect, of some revealed truth of God, or of the meaning of his word ? If you are so proud as to think that all the justified are perfect and have no sin, yet at least consider whether a man that liveth in Heathenism till fourscore years of age, and then turns Christian, is not afterward ignorant through his former sinful negligence ? But dare you say that you have no sinful ignorance to bewail ? Will you confess none, nor beg pardon, nor be holden to Christ to pardon it ? Thus they make no point of faith necessary, while they seem to make all necessary. By this Protean juggling, they make the church in- visible. For what man breathing knoweth the secrets of the souls of others, whether they have resisted or not resisted the light ? and whether they are ignorant of the articles of faith upon sinful contempt, or for want of some due means of faith, or internal capacity, or op- portunity? We are as sure that all men are ignorant of something that God hath revealed to be known in nature and Scripture, as that they are men. But now whether any one of those men be free from aggrava- tions of his ignorance, and that in every point, upon which the Papists make him an unbeliever, is unknown io others. When the faith or infidelity of men, and so their being in the church or out of it, must not be known by the matter of faith which they profess, but by the secret passages of their hearts, their willingness or unwillingness, resistance or non-resistance, and such like, the church then is invisible. No man can say which is it, nor who is of it. He that professeth not the faith, may be a Catholic : and he that professeth it, for ought they know, may be an infidel, as being sin- fully ignorant of some one truth that is not in his express confession, Thus by confusion the builders of Babel mar their own work. Bellarm, de Verbo Dei, lib. 4. cap. 11, saith : t: In the Christian doctrine both of faith and manners some things are necessary to salvation to all ; as the know- ledge of the articles of the Apostles' creed, of the Ten Commandments, and of some sacraments. The rest are not so necessary, that a man cannot be saved with- out the explicit knowledge, belief, and profession of PREFACE. 41 them. — Those things that are simply necessary and are profitable to all, the Apostles preached to all. — All things are written by the Apostles which are neces- sary to all, and which they openly preached to all." Costerus Enchirid, c. 1. p. 49. " We deny not that those chief heads of the faith which are to all Chris- tians necessary to be known to salvation, are perspic- uously enough comprehended in the writings of the Apostles." Thus they are forced after all their cavils, to say as we, in distinguishing of articles of faith. They can- not be ignorant, that the church hath still had forms of profession/which were called her symbols, as being the badge of her members; and did not suspend all upon uncertain conjectures about the frame and temper of the professor's minds. But if indeed it be not the want of necessary articles of faith that they accuse us of, but the want of willing- ness or diligence to know the truth, let them prove their accusations. Do they think we would not as wil- lingly know the truth as they ? and that we do not pray as earnestly for Divine illumination ? Do we not read their books? and are we not willing to confer with the wisest of them that can inform us ? When we prove a succession of our religion, by proving a succession ©f such as adhered to the Scriptures, which are the doc- trines of our religion, an argument that no Papist under heaven can confute, they vainly tell us, that all heretics pretend to Scripture, and therefore that will not prove the point. Doth it follow that Scripture is not a sufficient rule of our religion, because heretics may pretend to it ? You take our articles for our religion, and yet may heretics that are far from our minds, pretend to them ; and would borrow credit from it to their heresies. The law of the land is the rule of our justice ; and yet law- yers and their clients that are contrary to each other, do plead it for their contrary causes. Must we have no rule or test or discovery of our religion which a heretic can pretend for his impiety? What words of God or man are not capable of being misinterpreted ? [f \\c should give you every day a confession of faith, some heretics 4* A'4, PREFACE. might pretend to hold the same. No wonder then if they do so by the Scriptures. Can any learned Papists be so ignorant, as not to know that the authority of Popes and Councils is fre- quently pretended for contrary opinions among them, and by many heretics. Will they therefore grant that the decrees of Popes and Councils are no sufficient dis- covery of their faith ? If heretics pretending to your test of faith , disprove not that to be your faith, then heretics pretending to our rule and test of faith, which is the Holy Scripture, i^> no proof that it is not our rule of faith. Therefore, the proof of a succession of such churches as have received the Holy Scriptures, is a valid proof of a succession of churches of our religion, seeing we have no religion, doctrinally, but the Holy Scriptures : yet adding that we prove a succession aiso of churches that never owned Popery; even the greatest part of the Christian world. But let those men themselves but prove to us a succession of their church, even such as they require of us, let them prove that from the Apos- tles' days, the Catholic church, or any one congrega- tion of twenty men, did hold all that now their Councils and Popes have decreed, and are esteemed articles of their faith, and I am contented to be their bond -slave forever, or to be used by them as cruelly as their malice can invent. In the very principal point of their Papal Sove- reignty, they have nothing but this gross deceit to cheat the world with. The Roman emperors divers ages after Christ did give the Bishop of Rome a primacy in their empire, and hence those men would persuade us, that even from Christ they have had a sovereignty over all the Christian world. Wink but at these four mistakes ; that Christ's Institution stands in stead of the emperor's: that : divers hundred years after Christ, it had been in the Apostles' days ! that primacy is sove- reignty or universal government : and especially grant them, that the Roman Empire was all the Christian world ; and then they have made good that part of their cause. That many nations without the reach of the Roman PREFACE. 43 Empire had received the Christian faith, is a historical fact which is past doubt. Those countries were not under the Roman power : and none of them were gov- erned by the Pope. If all that part of the Christian world that was out of the reach of the Roman Empire, did never submit to the sovereignty of the Pope, then hath he not been successively, or at any time the actual head of the uni- versal church. The Emperor's mother of Abassia, baffled the Jesuits, by asking them, how it came to pass, if obedience to the Pope be necessary to salvation, that they never had heard from him till now? The Indians, Abassines, Persians, and many more in the East ; and the Scots, and Irish, and Danes, and Swedes, and Poles, and Muscovites, and most of Ger- many in the West and North, were not subjects of the Pope. If the rule and test of the faith of Papists never had a real being, or no succession from the Apostles, then their faith and church hath either no real being, or no such succession. It is either general councils, or Popes, or the church essential, as they call it, that is, the whole body, that is the rule of their faith. If it be general councils ; they had no being from the Apostles till the council of Nice ; therefore the rule of the Papists' faith was then un- born. They never had a being in the world : for there was never any thing like a general council since the days of the Apostles to this day. The first at Nice had none, and the following councils, as Constantinop. 1. &c. were only out of one piece of the empire. If it be not general councils, but the Pope that is the rule of their faith ; then, their faith hath been inter- rupted, and turned to heresy and to infidelity when the Pope hath so turned. Why then do they tell oiu people, that they take not the Pope for the rule of their faith ? If it be the major part of the universal church, it is known that two to one are against them : therefore by that rule, their faith in the Papal sovereignty IS false and it would be hard, if a man must he of QO belief, till he have brought the world to the polls for it 44 PREFACE. If all the stir that the Papists make in the world for the Papal government be but to rob Christian magis- trates of their power, then are they but a seditious sect. There are but two sorts of government in the church: the one is by the word applied unto the conscience, which workcth only on the willing; either by preach- ing, or by personal application, as in sacraments, ex- communication and absolution : and this is the work of the present pastors, and cannot be performed by the Pope. The other is by command, that shall be seconded with force ; which is proper to the magistrate. INTRODUCTORY. Popery contrary to Unity. — Directions for Protestants who argue with Papists. — Seven arguments against Popery. — Popery is false. — Opposes Christian love. — Teaches rebellion to civil governments. — Is an unholy system. — The Papists are two communities, and have two sov- ereign heads. — The ancient Roman church has ceased. — Popery is con- trary to our senses. The thoughts of the divided state of Christians have brought great and constant sadness to my soul : espe- cially when 1 remember, that while we are quarrelling, and plotting, and writing, and fighting against each other, so many parts of the world remain in the infidel- ity of Heathenism, Judaism or Mohammedism, where millions of poor souls do need our help; and if all our strength were joined together for their illu- mination and salvation, it would be too little. Oh horrible shame to the face of Christendom, that the na- tions are quietly serving the devil, and yet that instead of combining to resist him, and vindicate the cause and people of the L^ord, we are greedily sucking the blood of one another, and tearing in pieces the body of Christ with furious hands, and destroying ourselves to save the enemy a labor; and spending that wit, that treas- ure, that labor and that blood, to dash ourselves in pieces on one another, which might be nobly, and honestly, and happily spent in the cause of God. These thoughts provoked me to consider, how the wounds of the church might yet be heated : and I have made it long a principal part of my daily prayers, that God would give healing principles and dispositions unto men. But the more I studied how it might be done, the more difficult, if not impossible it appeared 4G JESUIT because of the Roman tyranny] the Vice-Christ or pretended Head of the church, being with them become an essential part of it, and the subjection to him essen- tial to our Christianity itself. So that saith Bellarmin de Eccles. I. 3. c. 5. No man, though he would, can be a subject of Christ, that is not subject to the Pope ; and this with abundance of intolerable corruptions they have fixed by the fancy of their own infallibility, and built upon this foundation a worldly kingdom, and the temporal riches and dignity of a numerous clergy, twisting some princes also into their interest, so that they cannot possibly yield to us in the very principal points of difference, unless they will deny the very essence of their new society, pluck up the foundations which they have so industriously laid, and leave men to a suspi- cion that they are fallible hereafter, if they shall con- fess themselves mistaken in any thing now ; and unless they will be so admirably self denying, as to let go the temporal advantages in which so many thousands of them are interested. Whether so much light may be hoped for, or so much love to God, and self denial in millions of men so void of self denial, it is easy to con- jecture : and we cannot in these greatest matters come over to them, unless we will flatly betray our souls, and depart from the unity of the Catholic church. If we should thus cast away the truth and favor of God, and sin against our knowledge and conscience, and so prove men of no faith or religion, under pretence of desiring a unity in faith and religion, yet all would not do the thing intended, but we should certainly miss of those very ends which we seek, when we had sold the truth and our souls to obtain them. For there is no- thing more certain, than that the Christian world will never unite with the Roman Vice-Christ, nor agree with them in their corruptions, against plain Scripture, tra- dition, consent of the ancient church, and the reason and common sense of mankind. Never did the uni- versal church, or one half of it center in the Roman sovereignty : and why should they hope for that which never yet was done ? When they had their primacy of place, it made the Pope no more a sovereign and a Vice-Christ, than the King of France is sovereign to JUGGLING. 47 the Duke of Saxony or Bavaria ; or than the senior justice on the bench is the sovereign of the rest : and yet even this much he never had but from the Roman Empire. What claim did he ever lay in his first usur- pations to any church without those bounds/ It was the empire that raised him, and the empire limited his own usurpations. Reinerius, Cont. Waldens. Catal. in Biblioth. Patr. to 4. p. 773; saith : " the churches of the Armenians, and Ethiopians, and Indians, and the rest which the Apostles converted, are not under the church of Rome." In Gregory's days, they found the churches of Britain and Ireland both strangers and adversaries to their sovereignty ; insomuch that they could not procure them to receive their government, nor change the time of Easter for them, nor to have communion with them. In the year 614, Laurentius wrote a letter, with Mellitus and Justus, to the Bishops and Abbots in Scotland. 1 We happened to enter this island, called Britain, before we knew them ; and believing that they walked after the manner of the universal church, we reverenced both the Britains and the Scots in great reverence of their sanctity. When we knew the Britains, we thought the Scots were better. But we have learnt by Daganus and by Columbanus the Abbot, that the Scots do nothing differ from the Britains in their conversation. For Daganus coming to us, refused not only to eat with us, but even to eat in the same house where we did eat.' ; Usher. Epist. Llibern. The work that here I have undertaken, is this — to give you a few invincible arguments, which the weak- est may be able to use, to overthrow the principal grounds of the Papists ; and to detect their frauds, with sufficient directions for the confutation of all the Pa- pists in the world. Before I mention the grounds or cause that you must maintain, I must premise this advice. Understand what the religion is that' you must hold and maintain. It is the ancient Christian religion. Do not put every truth among the essentials of yoni religion. Our religion doth not stand or fall with every controversy that is raised about it. That which was the true religion in the Apostles 1 days is ours now 48 JESUIT that which all were baptized into the profession of, and the churches openly held forth as their belief. Re- formation brings us not a new religion, but cleanseth the old from the dross of Popery, which by inno- vation they had brought in. A man that cannot con- fute a Papist, may yet be a Christian, and so hold fast the true religion. It followeth not that our religion is unsafe, if some point in controversy between them and us be questionable or hard The Papists would fain bring you to believe that our religion must lie upon some of those controversies. Perhaps you will say, that then it is not about religion that we differ from them. I answer, yes : it is about the essentials of their religion, and for the preserving of the integrity of ours against the consequences and additions of theirs. They have made them a new religion, which we call Popery, and joined this to the old religion, which we call Christianity. Now we stick lo the old religion alone; and therefore there is more essential to their reli- gion, than there is to ours ; so that our own religion, even the ancient Christianity,is out of controversy between us. The Papists do confess that the creed, the Lord's prayer, the Ten Commandments are true, and that all the Scripture being the word of God, is certainly true: so that our religion is granted us as past dispute. There- fore it is only the Papists' religion that is in question between us, and not ours. If you will make those lower truths to be of the essence of your religion which are not, you will give the Papists the advantage which they desire. If the Papists call for a rule, or test of your religion, and ask you where thay may find it, assign them the Holy Scriptures, and not any confessions of churches, further than as they agreee with that. We know of no divine rules and laws of faith and life, but the Holy Scripture. The confessions of churches are but part of the Holy Scripture, or collections out of them, contain- ing the points of greatest weight. And if in phrase or order, much more in matter, there be any thing human, we make it not our rule, nor are we bound to make it good, no more than the writings of godly men. A point is not therefore with us an article of faith, because JUGGLING. 49 our churches or a synod put it into a confession, but because it is the word of God. For a council's deter- minations do with us differ but gradually from the judgment of a single man, in this respect. And there- fore we give them the Scriptures only as the full doc- trine of our faith, and the perfect law of God. Those points in it, which life or death is laid upon, and God hath told us, we cannot be saved without, we take them as the essentials of our religion, and the rest as the integrals only. The essentials are the Baptismal Covenant, explained in the Creed, Lord's Prayer and Decalogue. Understand well what is the catholic church, that when the Papists ask you what church you are of, or call to you to prove its antiquity or truth, you may give them a sound and catholic answer. The catholic church is the whole number of true Christians upon earth ; for w r e meddle not with that part which is in Heaven. It is not tied to Protestants only, nor to the Greeks only, much less to the Romanists only, or to any other party whatsoever ; but it comprehendeth all the members of Christ : and as visible, it containeth all. that profess the Christian Religion by a credible pro- fession. If the Christian Religion may be known, then a man may know that he is a Christian, and conse- quently a member of the catholic church. But if the Christian Religion cannot be known, then no man can know which is the church or which is a Christian. All Christians united to Christ the head are this catholic church. I shall now give you some easy arguments, by which even the weakest may prove that Popery is but " all deceivableness of unrighteousness" — 2 Thess .2 .9, 10. I. If there be any godly honest men on earth be- sides Papists, then Popery is false and not of God. But there be godly honest men on earth besides Papists — therefore Popery is false, and not of God. It is an article of Popish faith, that there are no god- ly honest men on earth besides Papists : therefore if there be any such, Popery is false. By godly honest men, I mean such as have true love to God, and so are in a state of salvation. Their very definition of the 5 50 JESUIT church doth make the Pope the head, and confine the membership only to his subjects, making the Roman Catholic Church, as they call it the whole. But lest any ignorant Papist say, / may be a Roman Catholic without believing that all others are ungodly, and shall be damned, I give it you in the determination of a Pope and general council. Leo. X. Abrog. Pragm. sand. Bull, in the seventeenth general council at the Lateran, saitb, seeing it is of necessity to sal cation, that all the faithful of Christ be subject to the Pope of Rome, as we are taught by the testimony of Divine Scripture, and of the Holy Fathers, and it is declared in the constitution of Pope Boniface VIII. Pope Pius II. was converted from being ^Enccas Sylvius by this doctrine of a cardinal, approved by him at large, Bull. Retract. inBinius, vol. 4., p. 514. 1 came to the foun- tain of truth, which the holy doctors both Greek and Latin shew ; who with one voice say, that he cannot be saved that holdeth not the unity of the holy church of Rome: and that all those virtues are maimed to him that refuseih to obey the Pope of Rome] though he lie in sackcloth and ashes, and fast and pray both day and night, and seem in all other things to fulfil the law oj God. So that if a Pope and general council be false, then Popery is false. For their infallibility is the ground of their faith, and they take it on their unerring authority. But if the Pope and a general council be believed, then no man but a subject of the Pope can be saved: though he fast and pray in sackcloth and ashes day and night, and fulfil the law of God. It is certain therefore that if any Roman Catholic do not believe that all the world shall be damned save themselves, they are indeed no Roman Catholics, but are hereties ; for they deny a principal article of their faith; the infalli- bility of the Pope with a general council, w r hich is your very foundation. Therefore even in the great and charitable work of reducing the Abassincs, the Jesuit Gonzalus Rodcri- cus in his speech to the emperor's mother laid so great a stress on this point, that when she professed her sub- jection to Christ, he told her, that None are subject to Christ, that are not subject to his Vicar. Godignus de rcb. Abassin. Lib. 2. c. 18. Roderic. liter. p>. 323. JUGGLING. 51 Bellarmin saith, de Keel. I. 3. c. 5. No man though he would can be subject to Christ that is not subject to the Pope , that is he cannot be a Christian. Therefore Cardinal Richlieu told the Protestants that they were not to be called Christians. Abundance more of them assert that Protestants cannot be saved. 1 now prove that your Pope, and council, and faith are false, and that others beside you may be in a- state of charity and salvation. For you confess yourselves, that he that is in a state of charity, is in a state of salvation. If a man may know his own heart, then there are others besides Papists that are in charily, and are god- ly men : and so in a state of salvation. The consequence is plain by inward experience to every godly honest man that knoweth himself If 1 can know my own heart, I must needs say, I love God, and am not void of sincere godliness and honesty. And that I may know my own heart I can tell also by experience: for to know my own knowledge and will is an ordinary certain thing, if not by intuition itself. And if a man cannot know whether he believe and love God or not, then no man can give thanks for it, nor make profession of it : for men cannot converse togeth- er, if they cannot know their own minds. Bellarmin confesseth that we may have a moral conjectural cer- tainty that we have true love and are justified. Then [ have a moral conjectural certainty at least, that Po- pery is false ; because I have at least such a certainty that I am not ungodly or unjustified. So that what measure of knowledge or persuasion any Protestant hath that he is truly honest and justified, that measure of knowledge must he needs have, if he understands himself, that Popery is a deceit. So that hence you may gather these four conclusions ; That all that have any knowledge or persuasion that they are not ungodly, unjustified persons themselves, and void of the true love of God ; are quite out of dan- ger from turning Papists, if they understand but what Papery is ; and if they do not, they cannot turn to it, but in part. That never any honest godly man did turn Papist: and this the Papists themselves will justify. For thev 52 JESUIT say, by a Pope and general council, that no man can be saved but a Papist : and they generally hold, that all that have charity and are justified, shall be saved if they so die. So that if Popery be true, then no man had charity or true godliness before he was a Papist: and therefore never did one godly man or woman turn Papist. And therefore let them take the honor of their wicked seduced ones. What glory is it to them that none ever turned to them but ungodly people? It folio weth that the Papists do not sd much as desire or invite any godly man to turn to them. If you under- stand their meaning, they call you not to turn to them, if you are not ungodly persons. Hence, every one that turneth Papist, doth thereby confess that he was a wicked man before, and that he had not the least true love to God ; that he was not jus- tified, but a graceless wretch. All you that do but know or hope that you have any saving grace, have an argument here against Popery, which all the Jesuits in the world cannot confute. For you know your own hearts better than they : and they have no way to turn you to them, but by persuading you that you are not what you are, and that you know not what you know. So that plain- ly this is your argument; J know, or I have good persuasion that I am not utterly void of charity or sa- ving grace) therefore I know, or have the same per- suasion that Popery is false, which determineth that none have charity or saving grace but Papists. A man may have a very strong conjecture that many others that are no Papists have saving grace; though he had no persuasion that he hath such grace himself, consequently he must have as strong a con- jecture that Popery is false. What abundance of holy, heavenly persons have we known of all ranks among us ! Such as have lived in daily breathings after God, spending no small part of their lives upon their knees, and in the serious and reverent attendance upon God in holy worship, meditating day and night upon his law ; hating all known sin, and delighting in holi- ness, and longing for perfection ; and living in con- stant temperance and chastity, abhorring the very ap- JUGGLING. 53 pearance of evil, and making- conscience of an idle word or thought, devoting their lives and labors, and all they have to God, giving all their estates to pious and charitable uses, except what is necessary for their daily bread, even mean clothing and food ; taming their bodies, and bringing them into subjection, and deny- ing themselves, and mortifying the flesh, and contem- ning all the honors or riches of the world, resolving to suffer death itself, as many of their brethren have done from the Papists, rather than sin wilfully against God and their consciences : in a word living to God and longing to be with him, and manifesting those long- ings to the very death; grieving more at any time, if they have but lost the sense and persuasion of the love of God, than if they had lost all the world; and would give a thousand worlds, if they had them, for more of the love of God in their souls, and fuller assurance of his love and communion with him. As far as words, and groans, and tears, and the very drift of a man's life, and the expending of all that he hath, can help us to know another man's heart, so far do we know all this by others, that have lived among us. And may we not conjecture, and be strongly persuaded that these, or some of these, or some one of these, was a holy, justified person? If ever you are tempted to be a Papist, look on one side on the lives of holy men, such as Bradford, Glo- ver, Sanders, Hooper, and the rest that laid down their lives in the ilames in testimony against Popery; be- sides all the thousands that in other nations have died by the Papists' hands, because they durst not sin against God; and besides all the learned holy divines of other nations, and the millions of godly Protestants there; as also look upon all the godly that are now living, men or women, that live in most earnest seeking after God and serving him ; look on those about you, inquire ,of others; read the writings of holy divines: and then remember, you cannot turn Papist till you hare con- cluded that all those are damned, and are utterly void of saving grace and love of God. If there be but one Protestant that you know, or any one of all that hare been, that you take to be in a saving state, you cannot 5* 54 JESUIT possibly turn Papist, if you know what you do. For it is essential to Popery to contradict all this. Is this an easy task to one that hath the heart of a man in his breast? If you are not true Christians your- selves, dare you conclude that not one of those are true Christians? If you confess that you love not God yourselves, dare you say that among the far greater part of the Christians of the world, there is not one man or woman that loves God ? This you must say, if you will be a Papist. Many who are not Papists are good Christians, and consequently Popery is a deceit, and that is the testi- mony of many of their oxen writers. I will not call for their testimony concerning ourselves, but concern- ing other churches whom they condemn as heretics, that are not subjects of the Pope of Rome. I will con- tent myself with one of many that might be cited. Burchardus, that lived in the Holy Land, saith of them as followeth, p. 325, 326 — And for ihose that ue judge to be damned heretics, as the Nestorians, Jacobites, Maronites, Georgians, and the like, I found them to be, for the most part good and simple men, and living sin- cerely toward God and men Of the Roman Catholics he saith, p. Z2Z.—^There are in the Land of Promise men of eve'iy nation under Heaven, and every nation live after their own rites: and, to speak the very truth, to our own great confu- sion, there are none found in it, that are worse, and more corrupt in manners than Papists. He also tells us, p. 324, that the Syrians, Greeks, Ar- menians, Georgians, Nestorians, Nubians, Jubeans. Chaldaeans, Maronites, Ethiopians, Egyptians, and many other nations, theie inhabit ; and that some are not subject to the Pope ; and others called Heretics, as the Nestorians, Jacobites, &c. but there are many in those sects that are very sincere, know nothing of heresies : devoted to Christ: so that they far excel the religious of Rome. So you hear an adversary's testimony. Well then, when a Papist can prove to me, that I love not God, contrary to my own experience of myself: and when he can make me believe that no one of all he holy heavenly Christians of my acquaintance, min- JUGGLING. 35 isters, or people, are in a state of charity or justification : and that no one Christian on earth shall be saved but a Papist, then I will turn Papist But I must solemnly profess that this belief is so difficult to me, and abhorred by my reason, and my whole heart, and so contrary to my own knowledge, and to abundant evidence, and to all Christian charity, that I think I shall as soon be persuaded to believe that I am not a man, and that ] have not the use of sense or reason, or that snow is black, and the crow white, as to believe this essential point of Popery. I should a hundred times easier be brought to doubt whether I have the love of God my- self, than to conclude all the Christians in the world to be the heirs of damnation. II. That doctrine is not true nor of God, which teacheth men to renounce all christian love and ivorks of Christian love, towards most of the Christians upon earth: bat so doth the doctrine of Popery ; therefore it is not of God. If their error were merely speculative, it were the less : but here we see the fruits of it, and whither it tends. By this shall all men knoiv that ye are my dis- ciples, if ye love one another. — John 13: 35. This special love is the commandment of Christ, the new commandment ; without this, no man can be a lover ot God, nor be loved of him as a member of Christ. 1 John 3: 11, 12, 14, 23; 4: 7, 8, 11, 12,20, 21. 2John5. John 13 : 34 ; 15 : 12, 17. 1 Pet. I. 22. He that loveth not a Christian as a Christian, with a special love, is none of the sons of God. Papists teach men to deny this special Christian love to most Christians in the world. They that teach men to take most true Christians in the world for no true Christians, but for heretics or ungodly persons that shall be damned, do teach them to deny the special love and works of love to most true Christians : but thus do the Papists. How can a man love him as a Christian or a godly man, whom he must take to be no Christian, or an un- godly man? It is true they may yet love them as creatures, and so they must the devils; and they may love them as men, and so they must the Turks ami Heathens: hut no man can love him as a member of 3G J ESI IT Christ, whom he believes to be no member of Christ, but of the devil. All Papists are bound to this unchar- itableness by their religion, even by the Pope and gen- eral councils. Christ bindeth his servants to love one another with a special love; so the Pope and council bind the Papists not to love the most true Christians with a special Christian love. They cannot do it with- out being: heretics themselves, or overthrowing the foundation of Popery. Here you have a taste of the Popish charity, when they boast above all things of their charity. It is their horrible inhuman uncharitableness that seems to me their most enormous crime. Also you may see here the extent of their good works, which they so much glory in. He that is bound not to love me as a Chris- tian, is bound to do nothing for me as a Christian. So that they will not give a cup of cold water to a disciple, in the name of a disciple, unless he be also a disciple of the Pope : nor can they love or relieve Christ in his servants, when they are bound to take them as none of his servants: and so the special love and charity of a Papist extendeth to none but those of their own sect. Let them take heed lest they hear, inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me. III. That doctrine which t':acheth men to destroy or undo them whom Christ hath bound them to love as Christians, and absolveth subjects from their alle- giance to their princes, and requireth the deposing of them, and committing the government of their domin- ions to others, because they arc judged to be heretics by the Pope ; or if they will not destroy and extripate such as he calleth Heretics ; that doctrine is not God. But such is the doctrine of Popery. A paper entitled An explanation of the Roman Catholic 1 s belief and others like it seem to renounce the opinion of breaking faith with heretics, and of promise breaking with magistrates. It seems they think they owe no more obedience to their magistrates than they promise. But I refer the reader to what King James and his defenders have said on this point, and now give you the words of fheir own approved general council the fourth at the Lateran under Innocent III., JUGGLING. 57 as Binius and others record it. In the first chapter they set down their Catholic Faith, two articles of which are; That no man can be saved out of their universal church: That the bread and wine in the sa- crament of the altar are transubstantiated into the body and blood of Christ, the appearances remaining. In the third chapter they say, "We excommunicate and anathematize every heresy extolling itself against this holy orthodox Catholic faith, which we have before exponed, condemning all heretics by what names soev- er they may be called — And being condemned, let them be left to the present secular powers, or their bailiffs to be punished, the clergy being first degraded of their orders: and let the goods of such condemned ones be confiscate, if they be laymen^ but if they be clergymen let them be given to the churches whence they had their stipends. And those that are found no- table only by suspicion, if they do not by congruous pur- gation demonstrate their innocency, according to the considerations of the suspicion and the quality of the person, let them be smitten with this word of Anathema, and avoided by all men, till they have given sufficient satisfaction ; and if they remain a year excommunicate, let them then be condemned as heretics. And let the se- cular powers, in what office soever, be admonished and persuaded, and if it be necessary, commpelled by ec- clesiastical censure, that as they would be reputed and accounted believers, so for the defence of the faith, they take an oath publicly, that they will study in good ear- nest according to their power, to exterminate all that are by the church denoted heretics, from the countries subject to their jurisdiction. So that when any one shall be taken into Spiritural or temporal power, he shall by his oath make good this chapter. But if the temporal lord, being required and admonished of the church, shall neglect to purge his country of heretical defilement, let him by the metropolitan and other com- provincial bishops be tied by the bond of excommuni- cation. And if be refuse to satisfy within a year, let it be signified to the Pope, that he may from thenceforth de- nounce his vnssals absolved from their fidelity, and mav exnose his countrv to be Seized bv Catholics, who 58 JESUIT rooting out the heretics, may possess it without con- tradiction, and may keep it in the purity of faith ; saving the right of the principal lord, so be it that he him- self do make no hindrance hereabout, and oppose any impediment: and the same law is to be observed with them that are not principal lords. And the Catholics that taking the sign of the Cross shall set themselves to the rooting out the heretics, shall enjoy the same indulgences and holy privileges which were granted to thoce that go to the relief of 'the holy land. More- over we decree, that the believers, receivers and de- fenders, and favorers of heretics, shall be excommuni- cate: firmly decreeing, that after any such is noted by excommunication, if he refuse to satisfy within a year: he shall from thenceforth be ipso jure infamous, and may not be admitted to public offices or councils, or to the choice of such, nor to bear witness. And he shall be intestate and not have power to make a will, nor may come to a succession of inheritance. And no man shall be forced to answer him in any cause ; but he shall be forced to answer others. And if he be a judge, his sentence shall be invalid, and no causes shall be brought to his hearing. If he be an advocate, his plea shall not be admitted. If a notary or regis- ter, the instruments made by him shall be utterly void, and damned with the damned author. And so in other the like cases, we command that it be observed." Thus they go on further commanding bishops by themselves, or their arch-deacons, or other fit persons, once or twice a year to search every parish where any heretic is found to dwell, and put all the neighbor- hood to their oaths, whether they know of any here- tics there, or any private meetings, or any that in life and manners do differ from the common conversation of the faithful, &c. And the bishops that neglect those things are to be cast out, and others put in their places that will do them. Pope Gregory 7. Z. 4. Ejpist. 7., expressly stirs up the people to cast of their princes, saying ; "For the conspiracy of heretics and the king, we believe it is not unknown to you that are near them, how it may be impugned by the Catholic bishops and dukes, and JUGGLING. 59 many others in the German parts : for the faithful of the Church of Rome are come to such a number, that unless the king shall come to satisfaction, they may openly profess to choose another king, and observing justice we have promised to favor them, and will keep our promise firm, &c." The sum of all is, that all that the Pope calls heretics, must be condemned and destroyed, and all kings, princes or lords, that will not execute his sentence and root them out, must be dispossessed of their dominions, and the subjects absolved from their fidelity, whatever oaths they had taken, and all others that do but favor or receive them be utterly undone. I fetch these things out of the very words of a general council confirmed by the Pope, and unquestionably ap- proved by them. Many ages saw this doctrine put in execution, when the emperors of Germany were de- posed by the Pope, and the subjects absolved from their allegiance. Perhaps some will say, that this decree was not de fide, but a temporary precept. When a precept requi- reth duty, it may be a point of faith to believe it. Pre- cepts are the objects of faith, at least as they are assertions that the thing commanded is our duty. It is an article of faith, that God is to be loved and obeyed, and our superiors to be honored, and our neighbor to be loved, and charity to be exercised, &c. The creation, the incarnation of Christ, his death, resurrection, ascen- sion, glorification, intercession, his future judgment. the resurrection of the body, &c, are all matters of fact, and yet matters of faith too. If practicals be not ar- ticles of faith, then we have no articles of faith at all: for all our theology and religion is practical. Do Papists murder poir Christians by thousands, and yet not fide divina believe that it is their duty so to do ? Either it is a duty, or a sin, or indifferent. If a $in t woe to their Popes and councils; and if this be no sin with them, I know not why the world should be troubled by them with the name of sin. If it be in- different, what then shall be called sin ? If they can swallow such camels as the blood of many thousand Christians, what need they strain at gnats, and stick GO JESUIT at private murders, or fornication, or lying", or slan- dering, any more than the Jesuit casuists do I But if those murders and deposing kings be indeed a duty, how can they know it to be so, but by believing/ In- deed if a general council and the Pope are to be believ- ed, who give it us with a Decernimus et fir miter stat- uimus, then it is doubtless a point of faith : and if they are not to be believed, then Popery is but a mere de- ceit. But may we not be Roman Catholics though we join not with them in this point? Have not many such renounced it ? and so may we. If you renounce the decrees of a Pope and general council, you re- nounce your religion in the very foundation of it, and cannot be Papists ; but are in the Roman ac- count as errant heretics as those that they have tor- tured and burn to ashes : though here, where they cannot handle you as they would do, they dare not tell you so. If you may renounce the decrees of a Pope and general council, when they say; it is a duty, or lawful to exterminate all heretics, that believe not tran- substantiation, and to seize upon the lands of princes that will not do it, and to deliver them to others that will, and absolve their vassals from their fidelity; if you may renounce them in this, why may not we re- nounce them in other things as groundless? IV. The true catholic church is holy : the Church of Rome hath for many generations been unholy : therefore the Church of Rome was not in any oj those generations the true catholic church. The major proposition is an article of the creed pro- fessed by themselves, as much as by us; I believe the holy catholic church. The unholiness of the Church of Rome, I prove undeniably, thus: if an essential part of the Church of Rome, even its head, hath been unholy through many generations, then the Church of Rome hath been un- holy, for many generations : but an essential part, even the head, hath been unholy. Though it will not follow that the Church is holy, because one essential part is holy, yet it clearly follow- eth that the Church is unholy, because an essential \ JUGGLING. 61 part is unholy. As it followeth not that the body is sound, because the head is sound ; yet it followeth, that the man, or the body is unsound or sick, because the head is unsound or sick. As it is not a church with- out all its essential parts, so it is not a holy church without the holiness of all its essential parts. They make the Pope the head of the Catholic Church, and an essential part ; which is the principal controversy between them and the true catholics. Abundance of their Popes have been unholy, and they dare not deny it. Their own historians describe their impieties, and their own writers, even those that are bitterest against us, do freely confess it: and gen- eral councils have judged them and cast them out. The number of those monsters is so great, that it would make a volume but to name them, and recite their crimes. Pope John XXIII. was accused and deposed by the general council at Constance, upon seventy articles. The first article was, that he was from his youth, a man of a bad disposition, immodest, impudent, a liar, a rebel, and disobedient to his parents, and given to most vices ; and then was, and yet is, commonly taken for such a one by all that knew him. The second article was, how by simoniacal and unjust means he grew rich. The third Article, that by simony he was promoted to be a car- dinal. The fourth article, that being legate at Bonnonia he governed tyranically, impiously, unjustly, being wholly alien from all Christian justice, divine and hu- man, &c. The fifth article, that thus he got to be Pope, and yet continued as bad, and as a Pagan des- pised the worship of God ; if he performed any, it was more lest he should be totally blamed of heresy and cast out of the Papacy, than for any devotion. The sixth article was, that he was the oppressor of the poor, the persecutor of righteousness, the pillar of the unjust and the simoniacal, a server of the flesh, the dregs of vices, a stranger to virtue, flying from public consisto- ries, wholly given to sleep and carnal desires, altogether contrary to the life and manners of Christ, the mirror of infamy, and the profound inventor of all mischiefs; so far scandalizing the Church of Christ, that amon^ G 62 JESUIT Christian believers that knew his life arid manners, he was commonly called the devil incarnate. The sev- enth article was, that being a vessel of all sins, repel- ling the worthy, he simoniacally sold benefices, bish- oprics and church-dignities openly, to the unworthy that would give most for them. Threescore more of those articles were all proved to be notorious, by cardinals, arch-bishops, prelates, and many more. I add a few of the last. That he came to be Pope by causing Pope Alexander and his phy- sician Daniel de Sophia to be poisoned. That he com- mitted incest with his brother's wife, and with nuns, and whoredom with virgins, adultery with men's wives, and other crimes of incontinency, for which the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience. That he was notoriously guilty of murder, and other grievous crimes, a dissipator of the Church goods, a notorious simonist, and a pertinacious heretic. That often, he ob- stinately asserted, dogmatized, and maintained, that thereisno life everlasting, nor any other after this; more- over,he said and obstinately believed that the soul of man doth die and is extinct with the body like the brute beasts, and that the dead shall not rise again at the last day, contrary to the article of the resurrection. Thereupon the council deposed him. Now judge, whether the Roman Church had a holy head, when it had a heathen and a devil incarnate? The general council at Basil deposed Pope Eugenius IV. as being a rebel against the holy canons, a notori- ous disturber and scandalizer of the peace and unity of the Church, a simonist and a perjured wretch, incor- rigible, a schismatic, and an obstinate heretic. Pope John XIII. alias XII. was in council convicted of ravishing maids, wives, and widows at the Apostolic doors: and committing many murders. He drunk a health to the devil, and ac dice called to Jupiter and Venus for help, and at last was slain in the act of adul- tery. Platina saith, he was from his youth a man con- taminated with all dishonesty and filthiness, and if he iiad any time to spare from his lusts, he spent it in ^hunting, and not in praying ; a most wicked man or ^rather a monster. The life of that most wicked mar* JUGGLING. 63 feeing judged in a council of Italian bishop's'; for fear of them he fled and lived like a wild beast in the woods At last he got the better again by the help of his friends at Rome, till an angry man found him with his wife^ and sent him to answer it in another world. Their own writers note that this was the first Pope that changed his name, whom his followers imitated, Do you think the head of the .Roman Church was then holy? Many others of them havebeen most wicked wretches, common adulterers, fornicators, and sodomites, who poisoned their predecessors to get the Popedom. Bar- onius their flattering champion saith, Anna], ad an. 912. "What then was the face of the holy Roman Church/ How exceedingly filthy, when the most potent, and yet the most sordid whores did rule at Rome/ by whose pleasure sees were changed, prelates were given, and which is a thing horrid to be heard, and not to be spoken, their lovers or mates, were thrust into Peter's chair, being false Popes, who are not to be writ- ten in the catalogue of the Roman Popes, but only for the marking out of such times. And what kind of cardinals, priests, and deacons think you we must im- agine that those monsters did choose, when nothing is *o rooted in nature as for every one to beget his like ? n Genebrard, that spleenish Papist, Lib. iv. Sec. x. saith, 4 'in this one thing that age was unhappy, that for near one hundred and fifty years about fifty Popes did wholly fall away from the virtue of their ancestors, being rather irregular and apostatical, than apostolical.'" So that the Church of Rome had not then either a holy or apostolical head. Pope Adrian VI. writeth, De Sacram. Confir. Art 4, that there have many Popes of Rome been here tics. Two or three several general councils condemned Pope Honor ius for a heretic. If I should tell you what their own writers say of the wickedness of the Roman clergy, in many ages; and of the wickedness of the Roman people; of the large sums of money that the Pope hath yearly for the licensed or tolerated brothels in Rome, you would think that the body of the particular Roman 64 JESUIT church was near kin to the head, and therefore not the holy mistress of all churches. But perhaps some will say. that the Pope was holy be- cause his ollice was holy, though his person was vicious. If this be the holiness of the Catholic church mention- ed in the creed, then the institution of offices is it that makes it holy, and while the office continueth, the holiness cannot be lost. Then let them prove their holiness by saints no more. Let them not then delude the people, but speak out, and tell them that they mean such holiness as is consistent with heathenism, or infi- delity murders, sodomy, and may be in an incarnate devil! Is that the holiness of the Catholic church? By this means you leave no room for the Church of Rome, or any Papist in the Catholic church which is truly holy. Not as Papists: they can be no members of it. But if with any of them Christianity be predominant, and prevail against the infection of Popery, so that it prac- tically extinguish not Christianity, then as Christians they may be members of the church, and be saved too but not as Papists. V. The true catholic church of Christ is but one : the pretended Roman Catholic church is more than one : therefore the pretended Roman Catholic church is not the true catholic church of Christ. 1. Where there are two heads or sovereign powers, specially distinct, there are two societies, or churches. But those called Papists, or the Roman Catholic church, have two heads or sovereign powers specially distinct. Therefore they are two churches. There are many volumes written by both sides for their several forms. Bellarmin, Gretser, and the rest of the Italian faction assert that the Pope is the chief power, and above a general council, and the seat of infallibility, and not to be judged by any, being himself the judge of the whole world. The oth- er party aver that a general council is above the Pope, and that he is to be judged by them, and may be deposed by them. If any say, that they are but few and not true Papists of this opinion, I answer, then a general council are but few, and not true Catholics, JUGGLING. 65 which yet is said by them to represent the whole Catholic church : for the general council of Constance and of Basil have premptorily asserted it, and repeat it over and over. The council of Basil say, Ses. ultim. that "not one of the skilful did ever doubt but that the Pope was subject to the judgment of a gen- eral council, in things that concern faith. And that he cannot without their consent dissolve or remove a general council; and that this is an article of faith, which without destruction of salvation cannot be denied, and that the council is above the Pope, de fide, and it cannot be removed without their consent, and that he is a heretic that is against these things." Binius p. 43. 79, 96. Pope Eugenius owned that coun- cil, p. 42. For the council of Constance, Martin V. was chosen by it, and present in it, and personally con- firmed what they did as a council, and not what pri- vate members did. You see that even general coun- cils representing the Papal church do not only say that a council is above the Pope, but make it an article of faith, and damn those that deny it. What then is become of Bellarmin and the rest of their champions? But perhaps you will say, they are but few on the other side. JNot only most Popes, and the Italian elergy, and the predominant party of Papists, but an- other general council, the Lateran, under Julius II. and Leo X. expressly determine that the Pope is above a general council. So that here is not only an unde- niable proof that general councils are fallible by their contradicting each other, and that there is a necessity of rejecting some of them, and consequently that the foundation of Popery is rotten ; but also here is one representative catholic church against another repre- sentative catholic church, and one council for one spe- cies of sovereignty, and another for another species of sovereignty. So that undoubtedly it is not the same church. The nations that are on both sides to this day, arc a proof beyond denial of their division. The French on one side, and the It tlians on the other; and other nations divided between both. So that the thing which 6* 66 JESUIT they call by one name, is two indeed. But so is not the true catholic church. 2. Where there are two, three or four heads or sov- ereigns at once numerically distinct, there are two three or four churches. But the Roman Church pre- tending to be catholic, hath had two or three or four heads at once numerically distinct; therefore it was two or three or four churches. It is not only two species of sovereignty, but two in- dividual sovereigns that are inconsistent with the nu- merical unity of a political body. Two, or ten, or two hundred may join in one sovereignty, as one political person, but if there be two sovereigns, there are cer- tainly two societies: for if both be supreme, neither is subordinat \ The Papists lay their very foundation on a supposed division. Peter and Paul were both at once their Bishops. There are not many of them who ven- ture to tell us, that Peter only was the supreme, and that Paul was under him : but they make them as equals, or co-ordinate ; and some of them say, that Paul was the bishop of the uncircumcision, and Peter of the circumcision, and then Peter'* s church is confined to the Jews. And they do not tell us, that one headship was divided between them: for then that example would direct them still to have two Popes, or two bish- ops to a Church: so that Peter being a head, and Paul a head, they had distinct bodies. They cannot deny their many following divisions. The twenty third schism, as Werner a zealous Papist, in fasciculo tempor. reckons them was between Felix V. and Eugenius: of which Werner saith, that "hence arose great contention among the writers of this matter, pro and contra, and they cannot agree to this day : for one part saith, that the council is above the Pope, the other part on the contrary saith, no, but the Pope is above the council. God grant his church peace, &c." Of the twenty-second schism, Werner saith thus, ad an. 1373, "The twenty-second was the worst and most subtle of all. For it was so perplexed, that the most learned and conscientious men were not able to find out to whom they should adhere. And it was contin- ued for forty years to the great scandal of the whole JUGGLING. 67 clergy, and the great loss of souls, because of heresies and other evils that then sprung up, and because there was no discipline in the church against them. And there- fore from Urban VI. to Martin V. I know not who was Pope." After Nicholas IV. there was no Pope for two years and a half; and Celestine V. that succeeded him re- signing it, Boniface VIII. entered, that styled himself lord of the whole world in spirituals and temporals, of whom it was said, he entered as a fox, lived as a lion, and died like a dog. The twentieth schism was great between Alexander III. and four schismatics, and lasted seventeen years. The nineteenth schism, was between Innocent II. and Peter Leonis. Innocent got the better because he had more on his side. The thirteenth schism was between another and Benedict VIII. The fourteenth schism was scandalous and full of confusion between Benedict IX. and five others, which Benedict was wholly vicious; and therefore being damn- ed, appeared in a monstrous and horrid shape ; his head and tail were like an ass, and the rest of his body like a bear, saying, I thus appear, because I lived like a beast. In that schism there was no less than six Popes at once. 1. Benedict was expelled. 2. Silvester III. got in, but was cast out again, and Benedict restored. 3. But being again cast out, Gregory VI. was put into his place; who because he was ignorant of letters, and yet infallible no doubt, caused another Pope to be consecrated with him to perform Church offices; which was the fourth; which displeased many, and therefore a third was chosen, which was the fifth instead of the two that were fighting with one another; but Henry the emperor coming in, deposed them all, andfchose Clem- ent II. who was the sixth of all them that were alive at once. But above all schisms, that between Formosus and Sergius, and their followers, was the foulest; such say- ing and unsaying, doing and undoing there was, be- sides the dismembering of the dead Pope, and casting him into the water. And of eight successors, saith Werner, I can say nothing observable o( them ; be- 68 JESUIT cause I find nothing of them but scandal, because of the unheard of contention, in the holy apostolic see one against another, and together mutually against each other. 0:ie Pope in those contentious times, I find lived in some peace, and that was Silvester II. of whom saith Werner, Silvester was made Pope by the help of the devil, to whom he did homage: that all might go as he would have it : — but he quickly met with the usual end, as one that had placed his hope in deceitful devils. I now appeal to reason itself, whether this were one ehurch, that for fifty years together had several heads, some of the people following one, and some another, and the most learned and the most conscientious not able to know the right Pope, nor know him not to this day. But the true catholic church of Christ is but one. VI. The true catholic church hath never ceased or discontinued, since the founding of it to this day. The Church of Rome hath ceased or discontinued : therefore the Church of Rome is not the true catholic church. If the head which is an essential part hath discontin- ued, then the Church of Rome hath discontinued. But the head hath discontinued. 1. There have been many years interregnum or va- cancy, when there was no Pope at all. And where then w r as the church when it had no head ? 2. There have been long successions of such as were not apostolical, but apostatical. 3. Your own Popes and councils command us to take such for no Popes. Pope Nicholas in his decretals, Caranza p, 393. saith ; He that by money or the favor of men, or popular or military tumults is intruded in- to the apostolical seat without the concordant and can- onical election of the cardinals and the following re- ligious clergy, let him not be taken for a Pope, nor apostolical, but for apostatical. And even the priests, he commandeth ; Let no man hear mass of a priest whom he certainly knoweth to have a concubine or wo- man introduced, Caranza, p. 395. and priests that commit fornication, cannot have the honor of priest- hood. JUGGLING. 69 But our greater argument is from the authority of God, and the very nature of the office. An infidel, or notorious ungodly man, is not capable of being the pastor of a Church, while he is such. But the Popes of Rome have been infidels, and notoriously ungodly men: therefore they were incapable of being pastors of the Church, and consequently that Church was head- less, and so no church. Where there is not the neces- sary matter and disposition of the matter, there can be no reception of the form. But infidels and notoriously ungodly men, are not matter sufficiently disposed to receive the form of pastoral power: therefore they can- not receive it. As every true church is a Christian Church, it being only a congregation of Christians that we so call, so every pastor is a Christian pastor: but an infidel or notoriously ungodly man is not a Christian pastor: therefore not a true pastor. Other- wise a Mohamedan, Jew, or Heathen may be a true Pope. If any disposition or qualification at all be necessary to the being of the pastoral office, then is it necessary, that he own God the Father, and the Redeemer, that is, be not notoriously an infidel, or ungodly. Popes have been such as I mention. Marcellinus sac- rificed to an idol ; Liberius subscribed to the Arian profession. I believe there is a hundred times more hope of their salvation by repentance, than of a hun- dred of their successors. John XXII. held that the soul dies with the body, of which the Parisians and others condemned him. John XXIII. denied the life to come, and so was .an infidel. The witchcraft, pois- onings, simony, sodon^, adulteries, incest, &c. of oth- ers, are recorded by their own historians. VII. If a man may be sure, that he knoics bread to be bread, and wine to be wine, token he seeth, feeletk and tasteth them, then he may be sure that Pqperyis a deceit. But a man may be sure that he knowelh bread to be bread, and wine to be wine, when he seeth, feeletk, and tasteth them. I speak of such a knowledge as belongs to men of sound sense, and a convenient object and medium. It is the senses of the whole world that I appeal to : it is bread and wine that are near us, in the hand or tO JESUIT mouth that I speak of, and not at a mile's distance : in the day light, and not in the dark. So that take the bread and wine into your hand and judge it, and let that decide our controversy. If you can tell whether that be bread or no bread, you may tell whether the Papists or we are in the right. Those therefore that be not learned enough to judge by disputations and writings of learned men, may yet judge by their sight and feeling. Either you know bread and wine when you see it, taste it, feel it, or you do not. If you do, then the controversy is at an end : for the senses of all sound men in the world, will be against the Pa- pists, that say the bread after consecration is no bread, and the wine is no wine. But if you cannot know bread when you see, feel, and eat it; 1. Then we are sure that the Pope and all his council is not at all to be trusted : for if sense be not to be trusted, then the Pope and his council know not when they read the Scrip- ture, and canons, and fathers, and hear traditions, but that they are deceived. 2. Then we are uncertain of any judgment that Pope or council can give: for when they spoke or wrote it, we are uncertain whether our eyes and ears, or reason judging by them, are not de- ceived in the hearing or reading of their words. 3. How ridiculously then do they call for a judge of con- troversies ? and what a foolish quarrel is it that they make, who shall be the interpreter of Scriptures, or judge of controversies? For what can a judge do but speak or write his mind f and when he hath done, you know not what it is you hear or read, because your senses may deceive you. It is a far harder matter to understand a sentence or book of the Pope or council when you read or hear it, than to know bread when you see, and feel it. Many thousands know bread, that know not the Pope's sentence, nor a word of a book. 4. By this rule, it is uncertain whether Scrip- ture be true, or Christianity the true religion. For we cannot know it but by our senses: and if they are so uncertain, all our religion must needs be uncertain. 5. We cannot tell what revelation to desire that should end our controversies and make us certain. For if God shall send an angel or other messenger from JtfGOLiNG. 71 heaven to decide the controversies between us and Papists, what could he do more but speak it to us a.? from God? and we should still be uncertain of what we see or hear: so that we are left incurably in our ignorance and controversies, if Popery be true Here you may see upon what terms we dispute with Papists, and what hope there is of its satisfying them. We dispute with men that will not believe their own senses, or senses of the world. The damned man ; Luke 16. thought if one might have been sent to his brethren from the dead, they would have believed. And if Abraham say to them, if they will not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rise from the dead ; we may say of Papists, if they will not believe their own eyes, and ears, and taste, and know not bread when they see, and feel and eat it, how should they be persuaded, though one were sent to them from heaven to resolve them? Can we think by all our arguments to make any matter plainer to a man than that bread is bread, when he seeth and eateth it? If this be uncertain to them, what can you prove to them, or what way can you devise to deal with them? For indeed, if sense be uncertain, we have no certainty of any thing in the world. But to this, Tuberville, in his Manual of Contro* versies saith, substance is not the proper and immedi- ate object of sense, but color, quantity, &c. Nor can sense judge at all of substance though it be under sen- sible accidents, unless it be the subject of those acci- dents, and have a sensible and corporeal manner of be- ing, which the body of Christ neither is, nor hath in that sacrament, [t hath a spiritual manner of being, and is not the subject of the accidents of bread. They are without a subject by miracle ; therefore no wonder, if sense be deceived in this matter. Here sense and reason must vail bonnet to faith, and submit to the au- thority of God revealing, and the church propounding: they are not competent judges what God can do by iii« omnipotence. Is this all that those Rabbies have to satisfy the world that it is not bread and wine which is seen, and felt, and tasted ! Is this not like the rest of their 72 JESUIT contradictory imaginations? That Christ hath not a corporeal manner of being in the sacrament: and yet h is not bread, but is the body that is there: he saith, we maintain not his corporeal, but real and spiritual presence in the sacrament. So that either they affirm that his body is present, and yet deny his bodily pres- ence, but not his corporeal presence. Most learnedly ! We shall at last be taught to distinguish between bodily and corporeal ! But is not the juggle in the word manner ? Perhaps the corporeal presence is not denied, but the corporeal manner. In term it is said, We maintain not his corporeal presence. And can a body be present and not in a bodily manner ? And why is spiritually, put as contradistinct ? When Paul said our bodies shall be raised spiritual bodies, he thought that they were nevertheless bodies for being spiritual : and therefore it is nevertheless a bodily manner of presence, for being a spiritual manner. But if by the corporeal presence or manner denied, be meant nothing but the qualities and quantity by which it is fit to be the object of our senses, why had .we not this plainly without juggling? To say Christ is pres- ent in body but not sensibly, is plainer English, than to say that he is present in body but not bodily present. He calls them the accidents of bread, and yet saith, they are without a subject. And so doth the ex- planations of the Roman Catholic belief, and their or- dinary writers say that the body of Christ is under the forms of bread and wine, and yet say that bread and wine are none of the subject of those forms. He professeth transubstantiation is a miracle, and so every ignorant, drunken, adulterous priest of theirs hath the gift of miracles, which he worketh as oft as he consecrateth. Such miracles are the glory of their church, and the proof of their infallibility. He tells you that substance is not the proper and immediate object of sense, but color, quantity, &c. But is not the mediate object proper, as well as the immedi- ate ? Be it a proper or improper object, we may yet believe that reason by the help of sense doth judge as infallibly of substances as accidents. If you think otherwise, then all the forementioned consequences JUSTGLING. 73 are undeniable. You know not whether the world saw Christ on earth : or whether he were crucified, dead, buried, rose, or ascended. It might be but color and quantity which men saw; and when Christ told them a spirit hath not flesh and blood as ye see me have, they might have answered, we see no flesh and blood, but color and quantity. Thomas had then small reason to be convinced by seeing and feeling, when he saw but color and quantity, and felt but quan- tity and quality. By this reasoning the world is not sure that ever there was a Pope of Rome, but the col- or of a Pope, or other accidents. You know not that there is any earth under your feet, or that you are a man, or have a body, because your senses perceive but the accidents of it. What manner of men did Tuberville imagine he had to deal with, when he puts off his readers with such an answer as this ? Mark the unfaithful dealing of those men, and how grossly they abuse poor people that follow them with mere deceits. The question or objection which he undertook to answer was, wheth- er sense telling us that it is bread after the consecra- tion be deceived? To this he tikes on him to give an answer, and cunningly speaks to another question, and passeth this by. It is one question whether sense can infallibly discern Christ in the sacrament, if he were there, or discern that he is not there? and anoth- er question whether sense can infallibly discern bread and wine, and know whether they be there i The last was the question in hand ; but he slyly answers to the first instead of it ; and tells us, that sense cannot judge of substance, though under sensible accidents, unless it be the subject of those accidents, and have a sensible and corporeal manner of being, which the body of Christ neither is nor hath in the sacrament. There- fore Christ may be in the sacrament and you not dis- cern him by sense. What is that to the question ? is it not the holy truth of God that you are about t and should you thus abuse it, and the souls of men % The question is, whether sense and the intellect thereby be infallible in judging bread to be bread when we Bee, feel and eat it? Had you never a word to say to this ? to 7 74 JESUIT persuade men that they have eyes and see not, feel not, or that the world knoweth not certainly what they seem to know by seeing and feeling? Hereafter deal by us as fairly as Bellarmin did, who quite gave away the Roman cause by granting and pleading that sense is infallible in positives: and therefore we may thence say, this is a body because I see it ; and so this is bread or wine because I see, feel and taste it, but not in nega- tives : and therefore we cannot say, this is not a body because I see it not. Give over talking of the Pope r or church, or religion, or men, if you are uncertain of substances which are the objects of your sense. But you say, sense and reason must here vail bon- net to faith. In the negative case let it be granted, and any case where faith can be faith. But if sense and the intellect therewith be fallible in positives, so that we cannot know bread when we see and eat it 7 faith cannot be faith then. What talk you of faith, if you credit not the soundest senses of all the men in the world, when sense and reason are presupposed to faith % How know you that faith here contradicteth sense % You will say, because the church or Scripture saith : this is my body : and there is no bread ? But how know you that there is any such thing in Scripture? or that the church so holdeth ? You think you have read or heard it : but how know you that your sense deceived you not? He that cannot know bread when he seeth and eateth it, is unlikely to know letters and their mean- ing when he seeth them. The simplest reader that hath honesty and charity, is secured against Popery by the first argument, which he may make good to his own soul against all the Jesuits on earth. And he that is unable to proceed on that account, may by the evidence of this last argu- ment confute any Papist living, if he be a man of sense and reason : and having brought all our controversies so low, that sense itself may be the judge, it is in vain to use any reason with that man who will not believe his own eyesight, nor the sight, and feeling, and taste of all the world. joggling. 75 CHAPTER I. Error in faith in one point is a perfct confutation of all Popery. I now proceed to the principal part of my task which is to open the deceits of the Jesuits; and to give direc- tions for the discovering and confutation of them, that you may see the truth. If you prove them guilty but of any one error in points of belief determined by their church, you there- by disprove the ivhole body of Popery. For you pull up the foundation which they build on, and the author- ity into which they resolve their faith. They will grant you, that if they are deceived by the church in one thing, they have no certainty of any thing upon the church's credit. So that if you read PauVs dis- course against praying in an unknown tongue, of the many precepts for our reading and meditating in the law of God, or the like, and can but perceive that the Popish Latin service, or their forbidding men to read the Scriptures, &c. is contrary hereto, or if you find out but anyone of their errors, you cannot be a Papist, if you understand their profession. Though we know that the Scripture and all that is in it is of infallible truth, and that every true Chris- tian, while such, is infallible in the essentials of Chris- tianity ; for else he were no Christian: yet we pro- fess that we know but in part, and that our own writings and confessions may possibly in somethings be beside the sense of Scripture; and there being much more propounded in Scripture to our faith, than what is of absolute necessity to salvation, we may possibly, af ter our studying and praying, mistake in some things that are not of the essence, but the integrity of Christi- anity, and are necessary to the strength or comfort, though not to the being of a Christian. So that every error in their faith, destroys their grounds, and their new religion ; but so doth not every error of ours. Or to speak more distinctly; let Ufl distinguish be tween their objective faith, and our subjective faith* Their objective faith hath errors in it, but ours hath 76 JESUIT none by their own confession : for theirs is all the de- crees of their Popes and councils : and ours is only the Holy Scripture : which they confess to be infallible. Our own writings do but show how we understand the Scriptures, and so whether our subjective faith be right or not. We confess that it is not only possible but probable, that we are mistaken in some lower points, about the meaning of the Scriptures, and yet our foun- dation is still sure. But they have confounded their subjective and objective faith: and one believes it on that account, because others do believe it, and so one age or part do but seek for the object of their faith in the actual faith of the other. They conclude that every point which is of faith, that is determined by the church to be so, is of such necessity to salvation that no man can be saved that denieth it, or that doth not believe it, if sufficiently proposed. But we are assur- ed, that though all that is in Scripture be most true, yet through misunderstanding, some points there pro- posed to our faith may possibly be denied and disputed against by a true believer ; and yet his salvation not be overthrown by it. The Papists cry out against us for distinguishing between the fundamentals or essen- tials of religion and the integrals : but we know it to be necessary. CHAPTER II. That doctrine vjhich is contrary lo Scripture is erroneous. When you have brought the matter thus far, and see that if they have one error in faith, their whole cause is lost, then consider, whether it be possible for that doctrine which is so contrary to Scripture, and to it- self to be free from all error % 1. How contrary it is to Scripture: to forbid the reading of Scripture in a known tongue : their public praying in an unknown language : their administering to the people by the halves, denying them the wine, and giving them the bread only : their affirming men to be perfect without JtTCBLlNG* 77 sin in this life : their calling some sins venial which de- serve a 'pardon, and yet are truly no sins : their ab- solute forbidding their priests to marry, and saying that there is no bread and wine left after the consecra- tion. Deut. vi. 7, 8, 9. Deut. xi. 18, 19, 20. Isa. xxxiv. 16. Psal. i. 2. Nehem. viii. Josh. viii. 34, 35. Matt.xii. 35. xix. 4 xxi. 16. xxii. 31. Mark xii, 10,26* Acts yin. 28. xiii. 27. xv. 2U 1 Thess.v 27. Col. iv. 16. Deut, xxxi. 11. Eph.iii. 4 Matt.xxiv. 15. Rev. I 3. 2 Tim, iii. 16. Jo/m v. 39. Acts xvii. 2, 11. xviii. 28. Rom. xv. 4. 2 Tiro. iii. 15. Js&. viii. 16, 20. xl. 4. Rom. vii. 1. James i. 25. iZtfs. viii. 12. 1 Cor. xiv. Matt. xxvi. 27, 28. 1 Cor. xi. 25, 26, 27, 28. 1 Cor, x. 16. Eccl. vii. 20. James iii. 2. 1 Jo/rn i. 8. Phil. iii. 12. Luke xi. 4. D?^. xii. 32. Gal iii. 10. 1 John iii. 4. 1 Tim. iii. 2, 4, 5, 11, 12. Tit. i. 6. 1 Tim. iv. 3. 1 Cor. ix. 5. I Cor. x. 16. I Cor. xi. 23, 26, 27, 28. Acts ii. 42. Acts xx. 7, 11. 2. They are contrary to themselves. Not only sev- eral persons, but several countries go several ways; the French are of one way, and the Italians of another, even in the fundamentals of their faith, into which all the rest is resolved. Their Popes have ordinarily been contrary to one another in their decrees; which made Platina say, following Popes do still either in- fringe or wholly abrogate the decrees of the former Popes. Erasmus saith, that Pope John XXII. and Pope Nicholas are contrary one to another in their v.'hcle decrees, and in things that belong to matters of faith Had we no instances but of Sergius and For- mosus and their following partakers, it were enough And Celcstine's case puts Btllarmin to silly shifts. Their councils contradict each other. They confess that the Arians have had as many councils as general as ever the orthodox had : and if it be only the want of the Pope's approbation that nullifieth their authority, then let them tell us no more of councils and of alt the church, but say plainly that it is but one man that they mean. But even their approved councils have heen con- trary : The sixth council at Constantinople approved by Pope Adrian, is now confessed to have manv er- 7* 78 JEStJIT rors. The council of Neocaesarea, confirmed by Pope Leo IV. and by the Nicene council, as saith the coun- cil of Florence ses. 7. condemned second marriages, contrary to Scripture. The council at Lateran under Leo. X. determines that the Pope is above a general council ; and the councils of Constance and Basil de- termine that the general council is above the Pope, and that it is heresy to deny it. CHAPTER III. Principles and Proof. If you eider into dispute icith any Papist, inquire first what he will take for sufficient proof, and ichat common principles you aie agreed on by which the rest must be decided. Men that agree in nothing at all, are not capable of a dispute. For the principles in which they are agreed, are those that the rest must be reduced to. And when you have made this in- quiry, you shall find that the Popish way of dispu- ting is to forbid you to dispute, unless you will first yield the cause to them as beyond dispute: and that they are not agreed with the rest of the world in any common principles to which the differences may be reduced for trial; and so there is no sort of proof that they will admit of as sufficient. If there be any ground of proof at all, it must be ; from the senses : or from reason: or from Scripture: or from the church ; but they will stand to none of those. Begin at the bottom of all, and know of them wheth- er they will take that for a valid proof, which is fetch- ed from sense, even from the sound senses of all men in the world, supposing a convenient object and me- dium ? If they will not take this for proof, how can you dispute with them? Or what proof can be ad- mitted, if this be not admitted? We have this advan- tage in dealing, even with those heathen that have blotted out much of the law of nature itself, that yet they will yield to an argument from sense. JUGGLING. 7Q But if they would yield to the validity of this proof; then they give away their cause, seeing sense telleth us that it is bread which we see, feel, and eat after the consecration. They know this j and therefore they disown and deny that proof, But will they then admit of proofs from reason ? No, that cannot be, if proof from sense be not admit- ted. For reason receiveth its object by means or oc- casion of the senses, and must needs be deceived if they are deceived. Reason hath not a principle that it holds faster, than that sense is to be credited ; that this is white or black which my own eyes and the eyes of all other men do see to be so: and so that this is bread which we all see, and feel, and taste to be so. Therefore Papists tell us that reason must stoop to faith ; that is, they will noc stand to reason when it contradicteth the doctrine of their sect. It seems they are in some parts of their religion unrea- sonable. But I would know, whether they have any reason to be unreasonable. If they have, then why might not our reason be valid as well as their reason which they bring against reason? by which they con- tradict themselves. For if reason be vain, why rea- son they to prove its vanity or invalidity ? But if they have no reason against reason, let them confess it, and offer us none, and then their disputes will do no harm. We easily yield, that we have reason to be- lieve God's revelation, about those things which we had no reason to believe if they were not revealed: and that many of those revelations are above reason, so far as that reason cannot discern the truth of the thing without them; yea, it would rather judge the things improbable. But yet revelations are received by reason, and inform reason, and not destroy it ; nor do they so contradict sense or reason, as to make that cred- ible which sense and reason have sufficient ground to judge false. So that here we must break with a Papist, even where we might join in dispute with a heathen. And how- will Papists deal with heathens if they will deny the proofs from sense and reason ? But will they stand to the validity of proofs from 80 JESUIT Scripture ? No : for they take it to be but part of God's word, so that we may not argue negatively, it is not in the Holy Scripture : therefore it is not an article of faith or a law of God. For they will presently appeal to tradition, &c. And even so much as is in Scripture, though they confess it to be true, yet they confess it not to be by us intelligible, and will not admit of any proof from it but with this limitation, that you take it in that sense as the church take it. For they are sworn by the Trent oath, to take it in that sense as the holy mother church doth hold and hath held it in, and never to take or interpret it. but according to the unanimous sense of the fathers. So that they must know what sense all the fathers are unanimous in before they can admit a proof from Scripture. And before that can be done, a load of books must be read over or searched: and when that is done, they will find that most texts were never meddled with by most of those fathers in their writings ; and in those that they did meddle with they disagreed in mul- titudes, and where they agree they are not unanimous: and thus the Papists are sworn to believe no sense at all. If they would have come down to a major vote, it is no short or easy matter to gather the votes. If they know the fathers' unanimous consent, yet must they have the sense of the present church too : but is it not all one to make your adversary the judge of your cause, as the judge of your evidences and all your proofs t Will they stand to the judgment of the catholic church? No; for when they deny proof from sense and reason, they must needs deny all that is brought from the church : for the church cannot judge itself but on supposition of the infallibility of sense. When you argue from the judgment and practice of the great- er part of the church, they presently disclaim them all as heretics or schismatics, and will have no man to be a valid witness but themselves. The Greeks, the Ethio- pians, the Armenians, the Protestants, all are heretics or schismatics save they ; and therefore may not be witnesses in the case. So that you see that Papists will admit of no proofs from sense or reason, or the suffi- ciency of Scripture, or the testimony of the catholic church, but only from themselves. JUGGLIKO. 81 CHAPTER IV. Judge of Controversies* Understand what the Papists mean when they eall upon you for a judge of controversies. If you dispute with them, they ask you, who shall be the judge? and persuade you that it is in vain to dis- pute without a living judge : for every man will be the judge himself; and every man's cause be right in his own eyes, and all the world will be still at odds till we are agreed who shall be the judge. 1. You may easily observe that this is the plain drift of all, to persuade you to make them your judges, and yield the cause instead of disputing it. For it is no oth- er judge but themselves that they will admit. Yield first that the Pope or his council is the judge of all con- troversies, then it is folly to dispute against them : so that if you will yield them the cause first, they will then dispute with you after. The necessity of a judge is a pretence : for it is against all reason and experience to think that all inquiries or dis- putes are vain, unless there be a judge to decide the case. A judge is a ruling decider ; not to satisfy men's minds, so much as to preserve order, and peace, and justice in society. But there are thousands of cases to be privately discussed, that we never need to bring to a judge. Every husbandman, or tradesman, or naviga- tor, or other artificer meets with doubts and difficulties in his way which he laboreth to discern, and satisiioth himself with a judgment of discretion without a ruling judge. We eat and drink, and clothe ourselves, and fol- low our daily labors without a judge, though we meet witli controversies in almost all. Men marry, and build, and buy, and sell, and take physic, and dispatch then greatest worldly business without a judge. Judges are only for such controverted cases as cannot well be decided without them, to the attaining of the ends of govern- ment. 2, Is it not against the daily practice of the Papists to think or say that all disputes and controversies must 82 JESUIT have a judge ? Who is the judge between the nominals, reals, and formalists, the Dominicans, Franciscans and Jesuits, in all those controversies which have cartloads of books written on them ? Their Popes or councils dare not judge between them. Do they not daily dis- pute in their schools among themselves without a judge? and still write books against one another without a judge? 3. Understand well the use and differences of judg- ment. The sentence is but a means to the execution : and judges cannot determine the mind and will of man : but preserve outward order, if men will not see the truth themselves. The Jesuits that are so eager for free will, should easily grant that the Pope by his definition can- not determine the will of man. They see that heretics remain heretics, when the Pope hath said all that he can : and if he can cure them all by his determinations, he is much to blame that he doeth not. If a man's mind can be settled, an infallible teacher is fitter than a judge. Judgment then being for execution, when you ask, who shall be the judge ? I answer, judgment is either total, absolute and final: or it is only to a certain particular end, limited and subordinate, from which there is an ap- peal. In the former case, there is no judge but Christ, and the Father by him. No absolute decision can be made till the great judgment come ; and then all will be fully and finally decided. And for the limited pres- ent judgments of men, they are of several sorts accord- ing to their several ends. When the question is, who shall be corporally punished as a heretic ? the magistrate is judge : for coercive punishment being his work, the judgment must be his also. But when the question is, who shall be excommunicated as a heretic ? as God's law hath told us who, so is the rule of decision about in- dividuals. To try individual persons, and cases accor- ding to this law, belongs to the governors of the church : but not to the governors of other churches a thousand miles off, that never received such an authority, and are not capable of the work : but to the governors of the church in which the party hath communion, and into which he shall at any time intrude and seek communion. All men have a judgment of discerning that are concern- ed in the execution. JUGGLING. 83 So thai if a disputing Papist will say that his business is not to dispute with you, but to excommunicate, or hang, or burn you for a heretic, then I confess there is all the reason in the world that you should first agree upon the judge. But why the Pope should be the judge, I know not. CHAPTER V. End of controversy. Papists tell you, that in their way there is an end of controversies, but in yours there is none : for if you will not stand to One'' s judgment as infallible, you may dis- pute as long as you live before you come to an end. In discussing this part of the deceit : — 1. We confess that on earth there will be no end of all controversies among the best : nor of the great controversies which salvation lieth on, between the believers and unbelievers : that is, there will be still infidelity and heresy in the world, and error in the godly themselves. Hath it not been so in every age till now ? And why should we expect that it should now be otherwise % Doth not Paul tell us that here we know but in part, and prophesy in part 1 and that which is imperfect will not be done away, until that which is perfect is come ] While wc know but in part, we shall differ in part. 2. Hath your way put an end to controversies an\ more than ours ? Are you not yet at controversy with infidels, whether Christ be the Redeemer, and with here- tics whether he be true eternal God 1 Are you not yet as full of controversies among yourselves, as any Chris- tians on the face of the earth ? In the many volumes of your schoolmen, casuists, and commentators, I can shew more controversies yet depending, than you can find among all Christians in the world together. 3. Is there any thing in your way that belter tendeth to the deciding of controversies than in ours? (\>n- trarily, you have made more controversies than you have ended. We have a certain infallible rule to decide 84 JESUIT our controversies by, such as you confess yourselves to be infallible ; even the Holy Scriptures. But you have an uncertain rule, even the decrees of your Popes and councils, and the many volumes of the fathers, which are at odds among themselves ; your very rule is self-contradicting, and your judges are together by the ears. Our Faith consisteth in those points which are granted by yourselves, and so are beyond controversy between us and you. But yours lieth in a mixture of men's corruptions, which will ever be controverted and condemned. Our Faith consisteth in the few ancient articles by which the church was always known as to its essentials. But you confound the essentials with the integrals : and the number of your necessary articles is so great, as must need be matter of more controversy than ours. 4. We know our religion, and where to find it. It was perfect at the first, and receiveth no additions or diminutions. One generation cometh, and another goeth, but the word of the Lord endureth forever. But you never know when you have all, because you know not when your Pope will have done defining. That is an article of faith to you one year that was none the year before, nor ever before. 5. We need no judge to decide any controversies among us in the points of absolute necessity to salvation : both because the Scripture is so plain in those points, as to serve for decision without a judge ; and because we abhor to make a controversy of any of them ; and where there is no controversy there needs no judge. We are all agreed, through the plainness of the Scripture, that there is but one, eternal, most wise, and good, and om- nipotent God : and that there is one Mediator between God and man, who is himself both God and man, that was crucified, dead, buried, went to Hades, rose again, ascended, intercedeth for us, and is king and head of the church : and will raise the dead, and judge the world, some to heaven, and some to hell. These and all the rest of the essentials of our faith, and many more points that are not essentials, are so plain in Scripture, that we are past making them a matter of controversy. If any man deny an essential point of faith, he is none *UtfGLING. 85 of lis. But you are so deep in infidelity, that you must have a judge to decide your controversies in the neces- sary articles of faith. For whatever is of faith you make to be of such equal necessity, that you deride our distinguishing the fundamentals from the rest. Do you think Christians need a judge, or must put it to a judge to decide, whether Christ be the Messias or not? whether he died and rose again or not ? whether he will judge the world or not ? If he be a judge, he must have power to oblige you to stand to his determination on which side soever he determine. And if John XXII. determine that the soul is not immortal, or John XXIII. that there is no resurrection or life to come, but a man dieth like a beast : would you stand to that de- cision'? 6. If you say that your judge hath power to oblige you only on one side, that is, when he judgeth right, and so make no judge of him, but a teacher, we have such judges as well as you, even teachers to show us the evi- dence of truth. 7. If you say that you have a judge to determine of heresy in order to excommunication, so have we ; even the pastors of the churches, who are bound to unite and assist each other in such works. What is to be account- ed heresy, the law of God sufficiently determineth : and what particular persons are to be judged heretics and excommunicated according to that law, the particular pastors that are on the place can better decide, than a Pope that is a thousand, or five thousand miles off, and cannot hear the witnesses. And do you not yourselves decide almost all such cases of your subjection, by the present priests and prelates, and not by the Pope ? And why may not we do so then as well as you 1 8. But you lay all upon your Pope's and council's in- fallibility. Believe that infalibility if you can. I should think myself a miserable man, if I were not myself more infallible than your Popes have been. Every Christian, while such, is infallible in his belief of the Christian faith; and the Scripture is an infallible ground of our be- lief. 9. Is it not a plain judgment of God upon you, that while you make the Scripture so dark and not intelKgi- 8 S6 JESUIT ble, and cry up the necessity of a living judge; yoti should not only swarm with differences among yourselves, hut should be utterly disagreed, and at a loss to know who is that judge of controversies; one saying it is the Pope, and another that it is the council : and what the better are you for saying, there must be a judge, as long as you cannot tell who it must be ? It is not only un- certain among you, whether Pope or council be the in- fallible judge, but also which is a true Pope, and which is a lawful general council? For forty years at least to- gether the church could not know the true Pope, but the more learned and upright men were divided : nor is it known to this day. Frequently the strongest carried it, and success was his best title. General councils them- selves knew not the right Pope. The council at Con- stance and Basil knew not the right Pope. They at Basil thought Felix V . the true Pope, and Eugenius no Pope : but friends and strength confuted a general council, and proved that Eugenius was the Pope. Who knows which council to take for authority? What cata- logues have you of reprobated councils, and of doubtful councils, and partly approved, partly reprobate, and who knows which and how far ; but only that is approv- ed, that pleaseth the Pope, and that reprobate that dis- pleaseth him, and yet perhaps approved by a former Pope. So that you are all confusion and uncertainty about your true Popes and general councils. What a loss are you at to know their decrees and ca- nons? What a fardel of false decretal epistles have you thrust upon the world ^ decretals that use a translation of the Scripture that was formed a long time after the death of the supposed authors of those epistles. Decre- tals which make mention of persons and things that were many score hundred years after the death of the feigned authors. Those are your new Scriptures, and by those our faith must be regulated, and our controver- sies decided. Your canons are uncertain. Some have but twenty canons of the first general council at Nice : and others have the new found rabble of additions. Much more uncertainty or certain forgery there is in the canons called the apostles. JUGGLING. 87 I appeal to all the impartial reason in the world, wheth- er your voluminous, apocryphal uncertain faith that needs a living judge, and cannot find one, or agree upon him, that leaves your controversies still undecided, be a liker way to peace and unity, than our short and plain articles and infallible Scripture faith, that hath less mat- ter of contention, and better means to prevent it, even faithful teachers and judges in every church and com- monwealth, which shall so far determine as may preserve the peace of those societies, leaving the final full decis- ion of all to the eternal judge that is even at the door. 10. Is not God's hand of judgment yet more obser- vable against you, that when your Popes and councils have passed their judgment, the several sects are unable to understand them] Witness the sentence against the Jansenists, of which the persons that seem to be condemn- ed, say, that there is no such thing or words in all Jan- senius' writings, as the Pope saith are in him, and con- demneth as his : and the controversy is as far from a de- cision, as if the Pope had held his peace. Your great disputer White, is the same, for all the Pope's determi- nation. Take another instance, whether the Pope or council be supreme ? The councils of Constance and Basil de- termined it one way as of faith, and yet that made no end of the controversy. The council of Lateran and Pope Leo X. determined it the other way ; and yet it is a controversy after two contrary decisions : and some say one way, some the other: and others say, it is yet undecided, for fear of angering the French by casting them off as heretics. The council at Basil, sess. 36., fully determined the controversy between the Franciscans and Dominicans about the Virgin Mary's immaculate concep- tion: and yet it is undetermined still ; and White affirms, that certainly there is no tradition for it, nor any proba- bility that ever the negative will be defined. Apolog, for tradit. p. 64, 65, 66. He carrieth it as boldly out, as if no council had inadr or meddled with it. The words of the council arc those: "A hard question hath been in divers parts, and before this holy synod, about tin conception of the glorious Virgin Mary, and the begin- ning of her sanctiiication ; some saying that the \ irgin 88 JESUIT and her soul were for some time or instant of time actu- ally under original sin : others on the contrary, saying, that from the beginning of her creation, God loving her, gave her grace by which preserving and freeing that blessed person from the original spot, &c. We, having diligently looked into the authorities and reasons, which for many years past have in public relation on both sides been alleged before this holy synod, and having seen many other things about it, and weighed them by mature consideration, do define and declare, that the doctrine affirming that the glorious Virgin Mary, the mother of God, by the singular preventing and operating grace of God, was never actually under origi- nal sin, but was ever free from all original and actual sin, and was holy and immaculate, is to be approved, held and embraced of all catholics as godly and consonant to church worship, catholic faith, right reason, and sacred Scripture: and that henceforth it shall be lawful for no man to preach and teach the contrary.*' Is not this plain defining? But it is said, that was not an approved council. It was owned by Pope Eugenius himself. The council of Basil was approved by the Pope : for Pope Felix V. one of the best Popes that ever Rome had for a thous- and years past, approved it in this point : not only by accepting their election, but in express terms "professing firmly to hold the faith of the councils of Constance and Basil, and to keep it inviolate to a tittle, and confirm it with his soul and blood : promising faithfully to labor to defend the catholic faith, and for the execution and ob- servation of the decrees of the councils of Constance and Basil, swearing to prose-cute the celebration of gen- eral councils, and confirmation of elections, according to the decrees of the holy council of Basil," stss. 40. If they say that Felix was not a true Pope : then Martin V. chosen by the council at Constance was no true Pope ; and then where is your succession ? These things are plain and cannot be denied, though unconscionable shifters, that argue according to their wills, may find words to beguile the simple. Hence your catholic church representative is nothing if one man like it not. JUGGLING* 89 How largely hath the council of Trent dealt about original sin : and yet the foresaid White saith, that "If the people were taught that original sin is nothing but a dis- position to evil, or a natural weakness, which unless prevented brings infallibly sin and damnation : and that in itself it deserves neither reproach nor punishment, as long as it proceeds not to actual sin, the heat of vulgar devotion would be cooled, &c." which is a mere Pelagian issue of all the determinations about original sin, which ihev swear to believe. CHAPTER VI. Papal Unity. \ou may thus see what to think of their glorying in their unity, and accusing our divisions. One of the principal arguments that they prevail by, is by tel- ling the people into how many sects we are divided. That the catholic church is but one ; but we are many. And they will tell you of all the names they can reckon up ; and that all the division comes by departing from the Roman Church ; every man being left to be of what religion his fancy leadeth him to, for want of an univer- sal judge of controversies. They ask you what reason you have among all those sects to believe one of them rather than another ? So they would persuade you that there is no way for unity but by turning Papists, that we may be united in the Pope of Rome. 1. To all that deceit, we give them a full answer. It is not every kind of unity that is desirable : but unity with truth, and honesty, and safety. It is easier to agree in evil than in good : for evil findeth more friendship with corrupted nature, and hath more servants in the world. The wicked are more agreed, and far more in number, of one mind, than the godly are. The Mohammedans are Ear more agreed ; and in a far greater number, than the Papists are. The devils have some agreement in their way. They are all agreed to hale Christ and his members, and to s^ek night and da\ whom tiie\ ma , 8* ,90 Jesuit devour. It is easier to agree in a Papist's work than id ours. To center carnally in a sinful, and a most wicked man. To agree in certain forms and ceremonies, which flesh and blood are glad to delude themselves with, instead of the life of faith and love. It is easy to agree in such a carnal religion. To spare the labor and time of study and searching after truth, and to cast their souls upon the faith of others, even the Pope or a council ; that is an easy thing for lazy ungodly men to agree in. But to make the truth our own, and get the law of Christ written in our own hearts, and to live upon it, and walk in the light, and embrace all those truths that are most against our fleshy inclination and interest, is not so easy for corrupted nature to ageee upon. 2. Christ has told us that it is a little flock to whom he gives the kingdom, Luke 12. 32., and that the gate is strait, and way narrow that leads to life, and few there be that find it ; and the gate is wide and the way broad that leads to destruction, and many there be that enter at it. And therefore it is no great wonder if error and sin have the greater number. 3. There is a far more excellent unity and concord among the true reformed catholics, than among the Pa- pists, who do but cheat poor souls with the false pretence of unity. They are utterly divided and disagreed about that very power in which they should unite r and which they pretend must harmonize them in all other things. One half of them are for the sovereignty of a Pope, and the other of a general council: and that as a point of faith. So that there is no possibility of union with them, who are divided in the very point in which they invite us to unite with them. If the eye be dark how shall the body see ? If they cannot agree about that power that they say must unite them in all things else, what hope is there of an agreement with them? But for our parts we are all agreed that Christ only is the head of the church, and in him we all unite. With us, they are but some few half-witted self-con- ceited novices that fall off and disagree from us in any thing that destroyeth salvation. But with the Papists, princes are against princes, and nations against nations, JUGGLING. SI and much more, general councils against general coun- cils, even in the foundation of their faith/ So that let the general councils be never so full and learned, and justly called, yet if they be against the Pope's sover- eignty over them, the other party call them but false councils and conventicles* Of how great moment this difference is, let Cajetan be a witness, who in his ora- tion in the council at the Lateran, under Leo. X. in- veighing against the councils at Pisa, Constance and Ba- sil, makes one to be Babel, and the other Jerusalem. Papists are divided into two several pretended church- es, by making themselves two sovereigns : but so are not we: for we have but one head Jesus Christ. That they are two churches, hear the words of Cajetan, Bin. p. 552. " This novelty of Pisa sprung up at Constance, and vanished. At Basil it sprung up again and exploded. If you be men, it will also be repressed as it was under Eugenius IV. For it cometh not from heaven and there- fore will not be lasting. Nor doth it embrace the prin- cipality of that one, who is in the church trumphant, and preserveth the church militant ; and which the Synod of Pisa ought to embrace if it came from heaven, and not as it doth, to rely on the government of a multitude. The church of the Pisans therefore doth far differ from this church of Christ. For one is the church of believ- ers ; the other of cavillers. One of the household of God ; the other of the erroneous. One is the church of Christian men : the other of such as fear not to tear the coat of Christ, and divide the mystical members of Christ from his mystical body. " This was spoken in that council with applause. Can there be greater divi- sions than those ] 4. They have been utterly divided about the very power of choosing their Pope, in whom they must unite. In one age the people chose him. In another the clergy chose him. Sometimes both together. For a long time the emperors chose him. At last, only the cardinals chose him. Sometimes a general council hath chosen him. Our catholic church bath no such uncer- tain head, but one who is the same yesterday, to day, and forever. 5. They have often had two or three Popes at once. 92 JESUIT and one part of the church followed one, and another the other. For forty years together, none knew the true Pope. Cajetan saith ; "Of the schism of that time there were three so accounted Popes, that none of them might be esteemed the successor of Peter, either certain, or without ambiguity." For many ages one part ran after one, and the other after the other, or strove about them. But we are all agreed in our head without controversy. 6. They killed multitudes of persons in their divisions about the choice of their Pope, as in the choice of Da- masus. They had many bloody wars to the dividing of the church about their Popes, and between Pope and Pope. That was their unity. It would make a Chris- tian ashamed and grieved to read of the lamentable wars and divisions of Christendom ; between and about their Popes. 7. Popes and christian emperors, kings and princes, have been in long and grievous wars. 8. They have set princes against princes, and nations against nations, in wars about the causes of the Popes for many ages together. 9. They have set kings and their own subjects to- gether in wars, as all Christendom have known by sad experience. 10. They have excommunicated princes, and encour- aged their subjects to expel them, and to murder them : hence were the inhuman murders of Henry III. and Henry IV. kings of France ; and the powder plot, and many treasons in England. That is their unity. 11. They center and unite the Church in an impotent, insufficient head, that is not able to do the office of a head, and therefore cannot possibly preserve unity. But our head is all sufficient. 12. They set up not only a controverted head, which all the churches never agreed to, nor ever will do, but also a false usurping head, in whom the churches dare not and ought not to unite. Whereas Jesus Christ is beyond controversy the just and lawful head of the church. 13. Your agreement and unity are with none but your own sect: and is this so great a matter to boast of] You divide yourselves from the catholic church, and cast JUGGLING. 93 them off as heretics, or schismatics ; and then boast of a unity among yourselves. If you magnify your unity from the greatness of your number that agree, the Greek church also is numerous : and yet in this we far exceed you. For the true catholic is in union with all the mem- bers of Christ on earth. We lay our unity on the es- sentials of Christianity, and so are united with all true Christians in the world ; even with many of them that reproach us : when you laying your unity on many doubt- ful points, which you know not what yourselves, can extend it no farther than to your sect. Which is the more notable and glorious unity 1 to be united to the tru- ly catholic body, containing all true Christians in the world, or to be at unity with a sect, which is the lesser and more corrupted part of the church? 14. With what face can Papists glory in their unity, that are the greatest dividers of the church on earth 1 Who is it that condemneth the greatest part of the church, and prosecute th that condemnation with lire and sword, or so much vehemence, as the Papists do ? when they have most audaciously divided themselves from all oth- ers, and arrogated the title of catholics to themselves, they call this abominable schism by the name of unity. If you say that the reformers have divided themselves from others : I answer, not as from heretics, or no mem- bers of the same body with us, as you do : but only from unsound brethren : and therefore properly we are not divided from them, but only from tliL'ir mistakes. We think it not lawful to join with the dearest brethren in sinning, or in that worship, by personal local com- munion, where we cannot keep our innocency. But we hold the the unity of the spirit with them in the bond of peace : and are one with them in all the substance o\' Christianity, and holy worship. Even where distance of place, or circumstantial differences keep us from com- munion in the same assemblies ; yet our several assem- blies have communion in faith, and love, and the sub- stance of worship as to the kind : so that our division from other Christians is nothing to the Papists* 15. But when any differ from us in any point essen- tial to Christianity, they are none of us, nor owned by us ; and therefore you cannot say that we are at difference 94 JESUIT umong ourselves, because some apostates have fallen oft* from us. You will not allow us to say, you have many sects, because some of you have turned socinians, or be- cause thousands of yours have turned to the reformers, in the days of Luther, Calvin, &c. And why then should those sects be numbered with those that are not of us, but went out from us ? If men turn infidels, &c, they are not of us no more than of you. If you say that we bred them : I answer no more than you breed them, when they turn to the same sects from you : and no more than you bred the Lutherans. They went out from you and yet you bred them not : but on the other side, you cherish those as part of your church, who differ from you in your fundamentals ; so that the Pope dare not unchurch or disown them. 16. Our unity is in positives, and theirs is in nega- tives. Ours is a unity in faith, and theirs is in not be- lieving the contrary. Dead men have a fuller unity in the grave than Papists have. White's "Wav to the true church." Sect. 53. 17. Our union is divine, having a divine head and centre, and divine doctrine and law in which we agree. But the Papists' is human, having a carnal head and cen- tre, and human decrees and canons for its matter and rule. 18. They have not so sure a means of retaining men in their unity as we have: for where one hath forsaken our unity and communion, hundreds if not thousands, have forsaken theirs ; as France, Belgium, Germany, Sweden, Denmark, Poland, Hungary, Transylvania, England, Scotland, Ireland, &c. can witness : and if themselves might be believed, the Greek church, and all, or almost all the Christians else in the world have eone o from their unity. Yet will they glory in the effectual- ness of their means of unity ? Why then did they not retain all those nations in their unity ? 19. They have very little religious unity at all among them ; for force and terror keep men in their church. Who can tell under such violence how many stick to them in conscience and willingly % He that will forsake their religion in Spain is tormented and burnt at a stake, and in other countries where they have full power, he must be at least undone, So that theirs is a unity of Juggling. 95 bodies more than of minds: and their union is not pro- cured by the Pope as Pope; but by the temporal sword, which the Pope hath usurped over some countries, and which deluded princes use by his persuasion in other countries. What a juggling deceit then is this, to per- suade poor souls, that the only way to unity is to cen- tre in the Pope of Rome, as the most effectual means of ending differences ! when in the mean time they make so little use of it, and place so little confidence in it themselves, but uphold their unity by the magistrate's sword ? Besides that force, it is the riches and prefer- ment of their clergy, with their immunity from secular power, and the like, that is the means of their unity. But it is the light of Holy Scripfnre opened by a faithful ministry, and countenanced by Christian magistracy without tyranny, that is our means of unity. If the Papal headship be so effectual a means of unity as they pretend, and if they are so much of a mind as they say, let them give us leave to preach twelve months in Spain and Italy if they dare : or let them give men leave without fire or sword to choose their religion. 20. After all their tyranny, they have more difference among themselves than we have, or than all the Chris- tians in the world. To hide the infamy of their differ- ences, they tolerate them, and extenuate them. For differences in discipline, and order of worship, they al- low abundance of sects called orders, that men and wo- men may chose which they please. The voluminous differences of their schoolmen, casuists and commenta- tors, they say are not in matters of faith. But call them what you will, they arc greater differences than are with us. Read "The Mystery of Jesuitism," and take notice of the differences between the Jesuits and the Jansenians. Filiutius the Jesuit holds, that "if a man have purpose- ly wearied himself with satisfying a prostitute, he ma\ be dispensed with from fasting on a fasting day, and lie is not obliged to fast." The Jansenians think otherwise. The Jesuits Basilius, Pontius, and Baufey leach, that "a man may seek an opportunity of wilfully sinning, when the spiritual or temporal concernment of ourselves or our neighbors inclineth him thereto." The Jansenists think the contrary. % JESUIT Eman. Sa the Jesuit holds, that "a man may do what lie conceives lawful according to a probable opinion, though the contrary be the more certain : and for this the opinion of one doctor is sufficient." Filiutius the Jesuit held, "that it is lawful to follow the least probable opinion, though it be less certain; and that this is the common opinion of modern authors." The Jansenists are against it. Layman the Jesuit holds, that "if it be more favora- ble to them that ask advice of him, and more desired, it is prudence to give them such advice as is held pro- bable by some knowing person, though he himself be convinced that it is absolutely false." The Jansenists are against this. Bauny the Jesuit holds, "that when the penitent fol- lows a probable opinion, the confessor is bound to ab- solve him, though his judgment be contrary to that of the penitent : and that he sins mortally if he deny him absolution." The Jansenists deny this. Reginald and Cellot hold, that "the modern casuists in questions of morality are to be preferred before the ancient fathers, though they were nearer the apostles' times." The Jansenists think otherwise. Pope Gregory XIV. declared that murderers are un- worthy to have sanctuary in churches. But the Jesuits and Jansenists agree not who are the murderers. The 29 Jesuits in their Praxis p. 600. by murderers understand, "those who have taken money to kill one treacherously : and that those who kill without receiving any reward, but do it only to oblige their friends, are not called mur- derers." The Jansenists think otherwise. No marvel if you cannot understand the Scripture without a judge, when you cannot understand your judge, what he means by a murderer. Crashaw's "Religion of Rome as bad as ever." Vasquez the Jesuit saith, "that in this question, rich men are obliged to give alms out of their superfluity ; though the affirmative be true, yet it will seldom or nev- er happen, that it is obligatory in point of practice." The Jansenists think otherwise. Valentia the Jesuit, and Tanner hold, that "if a man give money not as the price of a benefice, but as a motive JUGGLING. 97 to resign it, it is not simony, though he that resigns do look at the money as his principal end." The Jan- senists think otherwise. Gaspar Hurtado saith, "that an incumbent may with- out mortal sin wish the death of him that hath a pension out of his living, and a son his father's death ; and may rejoice when it happens, so it proceeded only from a consideration of the advantage accruing to him thereby, and not out of any personal hatred." The Jansenists believe it not. Layman the Jesuit, and Peter Hurtado think, that a man may lawfully fight a duel, accepting the challenge to defend his honor or estate. The Jansenists think other- wise. Sanchez and Navarrus allow a man "to murder his adversary secretly, or despatch him at unawares to avoid the danger of a duel." Molina thinks "you may kill one that wrongfully informs against us in any court." Regi- naldus ; "that you may kill the false witness which the prosecutor brings." Tannerus and Emanuel Sa, that "you may kill both witness and judge which conspire the death of an innocent person." So think not the Jan- senists. Henriquez saith, "one man may kill another who hath given him a box on the ear, though he run away for it, provided he do it not out of hatred or revenge, and that by that means a gap be open for excessive mur- der, destructive to the state. And the reason is, a man may as well do it in pursuance of his reputation, as his L r oods ; and he that hath had a box on the ear is accoun- ted dishonorable till he hath killed his enemy." Azorius saith, "is it lawful for a person of quality to kill one that would give him a box on the ear, or a bang with a stick ? Some say not. But others affirm it lawful, and for my part I think it probable, when it cannot be avoided otherwise: for if it were not, the reputation of innocent persons were still exposed to the insolency of the ma- licious." Many others are of the same mind, insomuch that Lcssius saith, "it is lawful, by the consent of all casuists, to kill him that would give a box on the oar, or a blow with a stick, when a man cannot otherwise avoid it." Baldellus saith, "it is lawful to kill him that saith 9 9S JESUIT to you, thou liest, if a man cannot right himself other* wise." Lessius saith, "if you endeavor to ruin my rep- utation by opprobrious speeches before persons of hon- or, and I cannot avoid them otherwise than by killing you, may I do it ? I may; though the crime you lay to my charge be such as I am really guilty of, it being supposed to have been so secretly committed, that you cannot discover it by ways of justice. It is proved, if when you would take away my reputation by giving me a box on the ear, it is in my power to prevent it by force of arms, the same defence is certainly lawful, when you would do me the same injury with your tongue. Besides, a man may avoid the affront of those whose ill language he cannot hinder. In a word, honor is more precious than life, but a man may kill in defence of his life, ergo, he may kill in defence of his honor." The Jansenists are against all this. Escobar saith, that "regularly it is lawful to kill a man for the value of a crown." according to Molina. Ami- cus saith, "it is lawful for a churchman or a religious man to kill a detractor that threatens to divulge the scan- dalous crimes of his community or himself, when there is no other means left to hinder him from doing it, as if he be ready to scatter his calumnies, if not suddenly despatched out of the way/' Caramavel in his funda- mental theology takes it for certain,, that "a priest not only may kill a detractor on certain occasions, but some- times ought to do it." The Jansenists believe none of this. You may read in "the Mystery of Jesuitism," a volume of such passages of the Jesuits, allowing men to give and receive the sacrament when they come that day from adultery, and allowing a man to eat and drink as much as he can with his health : and discharging men from a necessity of loving God, unles it be once in their lives, or as others say upon holy-days, or as Hurtado de Men- doza, once a year, or as Conink, once in three or four years, or a sHenriquez, once in five years, or as Anthony Sirmond, not at all, so we do not hate him, and do obey his other commands. Are all those differences among the Papists so small as to be no matters of faith ? Judge then whether Pa- J UfcGLlNG. §9 pists or the reformed are more at unity among them- selves. Although the loving of God, the avoiding of murder, bribery, and the like, are no matter of faith at Rome, yet I desire to know whether the Holy Scripture be mat- ter of faith or not? They dare not deny but it is. What is the Scripture, but the words and the sense or matter? Are the Papists agreed among themselves about either of those ? No : for some of the best learned of them have stood for the preeminence of the Hebrew and Greek texts: and others, and the most for the vulgar Lat- in. But that vulgar Latin translation hath been often altered by them. After many others, Pope Sixtus V. made it so complete, that the church was required to use his edition ; yet after him came Pope Clement VIII. and mended it in many thousand places, and imposed that upon the church ; which of those Popes were infal- lible ? They much differ in their translations. For the sense of Scripture although men swear to take the Scriptures in the sense of the church, yet will not any Pope or council to this day, teli us the sense of them, either by giving us an infallible commentary, or by de- ciding the many thousand differences that are among their commentators. Do not all these commentators forswear themselves, those who lived since the council of Trent, having sworn to expound Scripture in the sense of the church, and only according to the unanimous con- sent of the fathers ? Why doth not the Pope decide these controversies ? seeing he is a judge of controversies to keep them all of a mind ? But perhaps they will say; "all those Scriptures are not matters of faith." Where are we then? what is matter of faith if Scripture be not? If all be not, how shall we know which is ? Is no one of all those man) hundred or thousand texts which your commentators dif- fer about any matter of faith ? If not, then you have DO faith. If it be, then the Papists differ among' themselves in matters of faith. James Bettum Papule, vel Con- tordia Discors. 100 JESUIT CHAPTER VII. Principles of Faith. Thus you may discern how to deal ivith them, when they industriously confound the essentials and the inte- gral parts of our Jaith : for this is another of their jug- lings. They cannot endure to hear us distinguish the funda- mentals, that is the essentials of our religion from the rest : and therefore they call for a catalogue of our fun- damentals : and would persuade us that whatsoever is matter of faith, is of no necessity to salvation to be believ- ed, and those are damnable heretics that deny them, and therefore we must not make any such difference. Their design in this is to persuade people that the world must be wholly of their mind in matters of faith, or else they cannot be saved. And by this trick they would prove that the Protestants and many other churches are all heretics, and therefore have no place in general councils, and are no parts of the catholic church. We desire the Papists to tell us whether Christianity be any thing or nothing ? If any thing, it hath its es- sence. Whether this essence of Christianity be know- able or not 1 If not, then they cannot know a Chris- tian from another : and they cannot know the church from other societies. If it be knowable, then its essence must needs be knowable. Whether all true Christians in the world are of the same stature or degree of knowl- edge and explicit belief? If they be, then there is no difference between fathers and babes, strong and weak, priest and people ; and then the Jesuits have no more knowledge or faith than the simplest woman of their church. But if there be a difference, whether the es- sence of Christianity be varied according to those degrees. If so, then there are as many sorts of Christianity in the world, as there be degrees of faith. If not, then the es- sence of Christianity is distinguishable from the integrity or superadded degrees, which is the thing that we contend for. Whether the apostles did not go on to teach their people more, after they had made them JUGGLING 101 Christians, in a state of salvation? And whether the priests, friars, and Jesuits will give men up, and teach them nothing more when they have made them Chris- tians. I know they will say, there is more to be taught. If so, then the essentials of Christianity are distinguish- able from the integrals or degrees. We would know how they will understand, Heb. v. 10, 11, 12, 14. and vi. 1,2. " For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God, and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For ev- ery one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righte- ousness, for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are full of age, who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil : therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation, &c." Tell us whether the apostle do not here distinguish be- tween babes and strong men ; milk and strong meat ; the principles or foundation or perfection 1 Whether all that is revealed by God be of absolute necessity to every man's salvation that do or may hear it ? If so, then no man can be saved that knoweth not all that God hath revealed ; and then no one in the world can be saved : for here we know but in part. Their own commenta- tors differ about the word of God, which sheweth that they are imperfect in the knowledge of its senses. The Pope knows it not, or else he is shamefully to blame, that he will not toll it the world, and reconcile his com- mentators anddisputers. But if all revealed be not of ab- solute necessity, then we may have leave to distinguish between points absolutely necessary, and the rest. Whether all shall be damned, that know not as mnch as the most learned and wise 1 If not, then still we may have leave to distinguish; — Whether any ignorance or error that is culpable, will stand with charity and salvation ? If not, then who shall be saved ] If so, then we may still distinguish the points of absolute necessity from the rest. Whether the whole Holy Scripture be the word of God] 11' so, then whether we ought not to believe it all as far as we can understand it? And whether it he not all matter of faith I If not they must tell us, what part o( 9* 10*2 JESUIT God's word is to be believed, and what not. If so ; then certainly men may err in points of faith, and yet have charity, and be saved : as their disagreeing commenta- tors, casuists, and schoolmen do. Whether the matters that their divines are disagreed in, be revealed by God, or things unrevealed ? If not revealed, do they not de- serve to be kicked out of the world, for troubling the world so with unrevealed tilings? If they be revealed, are they not revealed to be believed, and so are of faith? Whether there be not some things essential to true obc- dience, and some things not essential? If not, then no sinner hath sincere obedience, and can be saved : if so ; then why may not the same be said of faith ? Whether they require any profession of the faith or not ? If they do, then what is that profession ? Is it a profession of every particular truth that God hath revealed to be believed ! Or is it a profession of some particular truths only ? If of some only, why of those more than the rest, if they be not the essentials distinguishable from the rest? What is the use of the church's creed, and why they have used frequently to make confession of their faith ? Was it not the whole faith essential to Christianity which they confessed ? If not. then it was not fit to be the badge of the church; or of the orthodox: if so, then it seems those creeds bad in them the essentials distinguished from the rest. Whether every thing delivered or defined by an\ general council, be of such necessity to salvation, that all must explicitly believe them all, that will be saved ? If so, then whether any Papist can be saved, seeing they understand them not all ? If not, then a distinction must be made. How can they countenance ignorance so much as they do, if all things revealed be of equal necessity to salvation. What mean they to distinguish of implicit and explicit faith ? Is it enough to believe as the church believes, and not know what in any particu- lar ? then it is not necessary to salvation to believe the resurreciion of Christ, or of man, or the life to come. For a man may believe that the church is in the right, and yet not know that it holdeth any of these. Is it enough to believe the formal object of faith, which with us is God's veracity, without the material? Or is it enough to remain infidels, and only believe that the JtfCGLlNGa 103 church are true believers ? If you hold to this, you make no act of faith, but one, the believing that the church, that is, the Pope or council are true believers, to be of necessity to salvation, But if there be something that is necessary to be actually, that is explicitly, believed, then must not that be distinguished from the rest and made known? Whence is it that you denominate men be- lievers with you ? Is it from a positive faith, or for not holding the contrary ? If the latter, then stones, and beasts, and pagans, and their infants may be believers. If the former, then the positive faith whence all believ- ers are denominated must be known. Is not that truth faith and all that is essential to Christianity, which doth consist with saving grace, or to use your phrase, with true charity? If not, then either infidels and no Christians may have true charity, or else true charity may be in the unjustified, or both. If then men of lower know- ledge and faith than doctors, may have true charity; and therefore true faith. Bellarmin often distinguished! be- tween the points that all must of necessity explicitly be- lieve, and the rest. Suarez in 3. part. Thorn. Disp. 48. Sect. 4. saith of the article of Christ's descending into hell — " If by an article of faith we understand a truth which all the faithful are bound explicitly to know and believe, so I do not think it necessary to reckon this among the articles of faith, because it is not altogether necessary for all men." Here Suazez distinguished! be- tween articles of necessity to all, and those that are not : and excepts even the descent into hell from this number of articles necessary to all. But perhaps you will say, that though all that is of faith is not necessary to be believed explicitly by ail, yet implicitly it must. That which you call implicit be- lieving is no believing that point, but another point: yea a point that doth not so much as infer that, Por it follow- cth not, the church is infallible; therefore Christ descehd- eth into hell. We believe all that is of faith, with an implicit faith as well as you : bill it is an implicit divine faith and not human : for we are sure all that God saith is true ; and his di\ in- veracity is the formal object of our faith. We belicvi that all that is in Scripture is true, and all that was evei deliver'. 1 hy the inspiration of the Holy (J host is true. 104 JESUIT But all that is of faith is so necessary, that it will not stand with salvation to believe the contrary, or deny or disbelieve any point of faith. That cannot be true ; for no man can prove that a point may not be denied and disputed agaiust by a true believer as long as he is igno- rant that it is true, and from God : the same ignorance that keeps him from knowing it, may cause him to de- ny it, and gainsay it. Do not your own differing com- mentators, schoolmen and casuists dispute voluminously against some truths of divine revelation? If you change a man's mind from the smallest error by dispute, do you take that to be a change of his state from death to life ? i£na?as Sylvius thought a general council was above the Pope : but when he was Pope Pius II. he thought the Pope above a general council; was that a change from death to life. It seems by his bull of retractation, he thought so, but so did not several general councils. Was the Council of Basil, or Constance, or Pisa in a state of death and damnation for believing the Pope to be subject to a general council ? or was the council at Lateran in a state of death for holding the contrary ? Must either Pope John or Pope Nicholas be damned because of the contrariety of their decrees ? If the council of Tolet ordain that he that hath a concubine instead of a wife, shall not be kept from the sacrament, doth it prove them all in a state of death ? If Bellarmin confess that the sixth gen- eral council of Constantinople have many errors, doth it follow that they were in a damnable state? If the second council at Nice maintain the corporeity of Angels, and the first council at Lateran maintain the contrary, doth it follow that one of them was in a state of death 1 I think not : though it proves a general council fallible, when approved by the Pope, and therefore Popery a deceit. Bellarmin tells us the change of his own mind. The retractations of Austin tell us of the change of his mind in many things: and yet it followeth not that he was in a state of death and unjustified before. But all that is of faith is of necessity to the salvation of some, though not all. If that be granted, yet you must distinguish between points necessary to be believed by all. But in what case is it that you mean, that oth- er points are of necessity to some ? Is it to those some JUGGLING. 105 that know them to be of divine revelation 1 But that is not because the things themselves are simply necessary to salvation ; but because a belief of God's veracity, and the truth of all that he revealeth in general, is of neces- sity : and he that believeth that God is true, cannot chose but believe all to be true which he knows God re- vealeth. He that thinketh God to be a liar, in one word, doth not believe his veracity, and so hath no divine faith at all. Therefore you need not fear lest any one should be guilty of not believing that which they know is the word of God, but those that take God to be a liar ; and that is those that take him not to be God, and so are atheists. But still the thing of absolute necessity is to believe in general that God is true in all his word ; and to believe the truth of the essential points of Christianity in particular embracing the good propounded in them. Now it is true that Secondarily all known truths are of necessit}', to be believed, because else our general be- lief of God's veracity is not sincere. But yet we must say that antecedently even to that person, those super- added truths were not of necessity to his salvation to be believed, because they were not of such necessity to be known ; and if they had not been known, there had not been such necessity of believing them. But if you say, that all were obliged to know them, or that had opportunity, or the revelation of the truth, and yet did not, and thereupon deny them culpably, are in a state of death: I deny tint, and shall prove it false. A wilful refusing the light, because men love darkness rath- er than light, is a certain sign of a graceless wretch. But every culpable ignorance and unbelief is not damn- ing ignorance or unbelief. Otherwise no man should be saved: for no man is void of culpable ignorance, and consequently of culpable unbelief. Had we never been wanting in the use of means, there is no man but might have known more than he doth. Is there any one thai dare refuse to ask God forgiveness of ignorance, unbelief, or the negligence that is the culpable cause of them, or that dare say, you need no pardon of them/ If you plead for venial sin, how can you deny a venial unbelief, upon venial ignorance ? But then learn more piety, than to say that your venial unbelief or sin is no sin, save tfl 106 JESUIT analogically so culled ; or that it deserves a pardon, or deserves not everlasting punishment* But if you call it venial, because being consistent with the true love of God and habitual holiness, and saving faith, the law of grace doth pardon it, and not condemn men for it ; thus we would agree with you that (here is venial sin ; but then there is venial unbelief. We easily prove this from the law of God. It is the nature of the preceptive part to constitute duty only, and the violation of that is sin : but it is the sanction, the promise and threatening that determines the reward and penalty. Now it is only the old law of works that makes the threatening as large as the prohibition, con- demning man for every sin : but so doth not the law of grace. The precept still commandeth perfect obedience, and so makes it a duty ; but the promise maketh not perfect obedience the condition of Salvation ; but faith, repentance, and sincere obedience, though imperfect. The law of nature still makes everlasting death due to every sin : but it is such a due as hath a remedy at hand provided and offered in the gospel ; and is actually rem- edied to all true believers. So that as it is not every sin that will damn us, though damnation be due to it, because we have a present remedy ; so it is not very culpable ignorance or unbelief that will damn us, though it deserve damnation ; because the gospel doth not only not damn us for it, but pardons it, by acquitting us from the condemnation of the law. All this may teach you, not only to mend your abominable doctrine about mortal and venial sin ; but also to discern the reason why a man may deny some points of faith that are not of the essence of Christianity, and yet not be damned for it ; because the law of grace doth not condemn him for it, though he be culpable, for the law of grace may com- mand further than it premptorily condemneth in case of disobedience. It is the promise that makes faith the condition of life, though it be the precept that makes it a duty. Now it saveth not as a performed duty directly, because the precept gives not the reward, but as a per- formed condition. Therefore unbelief condemneth not effectually as a mere sin directly, but as such a sin as is the violation of nonperformance of that condition. JUGGLING. 107 CHAPTER VIII. Deoision of Controversies. Another of their jugglings is, to extol the judgment of the catholic church as that which must be the ground of faith, and the decider of all controversies. To this end they plead against the sufficiency of Scripture, and bend all the force of their arguings and designs, as if all their hope lay in this point, and as if it were grant- ed that we are lost, if the catholic church be admitted to be the judge. Hence it is that they cry out against pri- vate faith and opinions, and calll men to the faith of the church, and persuade the poor people, that the church is for them, and we are but branches broken off. We are content to deal with them at their own weap- on, and at that one in which they put their trust. We know that the true catholic church or any member of it, cannot err in any of the essentials of Christianity, for then it would cease to be the church : but we have too much reason to judge that it is not free from error in lesser things. Yet in the main cause between the Papists and us, we refuse not their judgment. Nay we turn this canon against the canoneers, and easily prove that the Papists cause is uttterly lost, if the catholic church be judge. But it is the ancient church, or the present church that must decide the cause 1 It shall be which you will. For the most ancient church in the apostles' days, we are altogether of its belief, and stand to its decision in all things ; and if you prove we mistake them in any thing, we shall gladly receive instruction and be re- claimed. To them we appeal for our essentials and integrals. For some following ages, we will be tried by them in the articles of our faith, and in the principal controversies we have with the Papists. But this will not serve their turn : it is the present church that must judge or none : for, they say, if the ancient church had power, so hath the present : and if the ancient church had possession of the truth, how shall 108 JESUIT we know it by the present? We may know it by the records of those times far surer than by the reports of men without writing. Controversies on numerous mys- terious points are sorrily carried in the memories, es- pecially of the most, even of the teachers; especially when men's memories die with them, and they cannot make their children the heirs of their knowledge or memo- ries. Do you now remember what was done in the days of Ignatius, Justin, Cyprian, &c. that never saw them ? And can you, that hardly teach your children a long catechism, teach them to carry in memory all your voluminous councils better than written records can preserve them. For the records, one diligent skilful man willl know more than ten thousand others. Bar- onius, Albaspiiiteus, Petavius, among the Papists, and Usher, Blondell, Salmasius, Gataker, &c. among the protestants, knew T more of the mind of antiquity, than a whole country besides, or than general councils have known. If you appeal to the greater number, to them shall you go. You must be tried by the present church ; then you are condemned. Is it the less number, or the great- er, or the better that must be judge? You will not say the less ; if you do, you know where you are. If you say the better part shall be judge : who shall be judge which is the better part? We are ready to prove the reformed churches the better part : and if we do not, we will give you the cause. But will you appeal to the greater part ? Then you are lost. The Greeks, Mos- covites, Armenians, Abbasines, and all other churches in Asia, Africa and Europe are far more than the Pa- pists ; and your own pens and mouths tell us that those are against you. Many of them curse you as heretics or schismatics ; the rest of them know you not, or re- fuse your government. They all agree against your Pope's universal headship or sovereignty, and so against the very form of your new church. So that the world knows the judgment of the far g eatest part of Chris- tians on earth to be against you in the main. This you get by appealing to the catholic church. But you say, that all those are schismatics or heretics, and none of the Catholic Church : but they say as much JUGGLING. 109 by you ; and how do you prove it ? Who shall be judge whether they, or you be the catholic church? You tell us of your succession, and twenty tales that are good, if you may be judges yourselves ; but so do they say as much which is good if they be judges, When we offer to dispute our case with you, you ask us who shall be judge, and tell us the Catholic Church must be judge. But who shall be judge between you and them which is the catholic church % You will not let us be judges in our own cause, and why then should you % Are we Protestants the less number as to you ? so are you to all the rest that are against you. And what reason have we to let the less number judge over the greater ? If still you say, because you are the bet- ter, let that be first tried ; but not you be the judges. So that the case is plainly this : either the Papists must stand to the greater number, and then the contro- versy is at an end: or they must shamefully say, we will not dispute with you, unless we may be the judges ourselves. Or else they must dispute it equally with us, by producing their evidence. CHAPTER IX. Ambiguity of Romanists in controversy. The most common and prevalent deceit of Papists is by ambiguous terms to deceive those that cannot force them to distinguish, and to make you believe they mean one thing, when they mean another, and to mock yuio with cloudy words. Look to them therefore especially in three terms, on which much of their controversies lies; the words church, pope, and council. Few un- derstand what they mean by any one of these words. When you dispute of the church with them, agree first upon the definition of church. When you call them to define it, you will find how many things they call the church. Sometimes they mean the whole body, pastors and people: but more commonly they mean only the pastors. Sometimes they mean the church 10 110 JESUIT real : and sometimes the church representative, as they call it, in a general council. But whether they mean the pastors or people, they exclude all saving the pope and his subjects, and so by the church, mean but a part or a sect. Sometimes in the question about tradition r some of the French take the church for the community, as fathers deliver the doctrine of Christ to their children, &c. Sometimes they take it in its political sense, for a society, consisting of a visible head and members : but then they agree not of that head, some setting the pope highest, and some the council. Frequently they take the word church for the supposed head alone, as in most questions about infallibility, judging of controver- sies, expounding Scripture, keeping of traditions, defin- ing points of faith, &c. They say, the church must do these: but commonly they mean the supposed head. One part mean a general council: and the Jesuits and Italians, and predominant part mean only the pope. So that when they talk of the whole catholic church, and call you to its judgment, and boast of its infallibili- ty, they mean all this while but one poor sinful man : and such a man as sometimes hath been more unlearn- ed than many school-boys of twelve years of age : a murderer, adulterer, heretic, infidel, or an incarnate devil. This man is their church, as Gretser, Bellarmin, De concil. author. Lib. 2, Cap. 19., and others profess. So that if you force them to define and explain what they mean by the church, you will either cause them to open their nakedness, or find them all to pieces about the very subject of dispute. When they use the name pope in disputation, make them explain themselves ; and tell you in a definition what they mean by a pope. For, though you would think this term sufficiently understood, yet you find them utterly at a loss about it. Consider distinctly the efficient, matter, and form. As to the efficient cause of their pope, there must concur a divine institution, which they can no where show, and a call from man. What man or men have power to make a head to the catholic church? But whether they will call it an ef ficient cause, or only an essential cause, election and ordination must go to make a pope. Now either they JUGGLING. HI will put these into their definition, or not. If not, know of them whether a man without election and ordination may be pope : \f so, what makes him one ? If posses- sion, then he that can conquer Rome and sit down in the chair is pope. If not possession, what then? why may not any man say I am pope ? But doubtless they will tell you that an election, or ordination, or both are necessary. If so, then is it necessary to the being of a pope, that some certain persons elect who have the power, or will any electors serve whosoever? If any will serve, then every monastery or every parish may choose a pope ? If there must be certain authorized electors, see that those be named in the definition. Then first know whether those electors are empowered to that work by divine law, or by human. If by divine, let them show it if they can. In Scripture they can never find who must choose the pope. And their tra- dition hath no such precept, as appeareth by the alter- ations and divers ways. If it be but by a human eccle- siastical canon, then the Papacy is so too : for the power received can have no higher a cause than the power giving or authorizing. When you know who those electors must be, you open their nakedness. For if they say, it must be the cardinals, ask them, where then was the pope when there were no cardinals in the world ? and whether that were a pope or not that was chosen by the whole Roman clergy? or whether those were popes or not that were chosen by the people t or those that wore chosen by the emperor ? or those that were chosen by councils? If they tell you that it must be the Roman clergy; know whether the cardinals be the whole Ro- man clergy? Whether the people, the council or the emperors were the Roman clergy ? If they would per- suade you, that either the people, or the emperor, or the council did not elect the pope, but only show whom the Roman clergy should elect, interposing exorbitantly some unjust force with the due election ; then all his- tory crieth shame against them. Nothing is more evident in the Papal history, than that there have been at least five ways of election among them. If they allow of any of those as valid, which it ever 112 JESUIT be, as they must, or give up their succession, then by what law of God did the emperor of Germany choose a head for the church, any more than the emperor of Habassia, or the king of France or Spain? When the emperor hath chosen one and the clergy another, and some others a third, were all true popes, if each party was authorized electors t If yet the people choose one, and the Roman clergy another, and the cardinals alone a third, and the emperor a fourth, and a council a fifth, must all those stand, or which of them, and why ? Or if they tell you that it must be the particular Roman church : then if the people of that church choose one, and the clergy another, and the cardinals a third, which is the true pope ? The succession is gone: for they were no popes that emperors or councils chose. If they tell you that it is not election but consecra- tion that makes a pope or that consecration is of neces- sity with election : then demand of them whether it be any one whosoever that may consecrate, or whether that high power be confined to certain hands ? If any may serve, or any bishops, then he that can get three drunken bishops to consecrate him may be pope. And then there may be an hundred popes at once. But if it be confined to certain hands, let it be declared who those are that must ordain or consecrate him. If they say, that it must be only the Italian bishops that must consecrate, then know of them by what law of God they have power to consecrate a head to the universal church : by what law they can form a creature of a more noble species than themselves ; or whether this prove not, that as a bishop at first was but like the fore- man of a jury, thence sprung an archbishop, and thence a patriarch, so in process of time, when pride grew ri- per, the pope grew to be the head or governor of the universal church. But if they can show us no law of God empowering those special consecrators, any more than others, then where is the Papacy that dependeth on it ? There is nothing in Scripture to empower the Italian bishops any more than the Galiican, German, or Asian, to con- secrate a head for the catholic church. But suppose there were t yet we must be resolved JUGGLING. 113 whether it be some or all the Italian Bishops that must do it? H but some which be they ? and how is their power proved t If all or any, then what shall we do when some of them consecrate one pope, and some another, and some a third ? Which of those is the pope ? If consecration give the power, all are popes. And still the Papal succession is overthrown, while many popes had no consecration by Italian bishops. Thus you may see what a case the Jesuits will be in, if you put them to insert the necessary electors and consecrators in their definition of a pope. You must also require them to put his necessary qualification in the description. For if no disposition of the matter be necessary, then a Jew or other infidel may be pope : which they will deny. If any dispo- sition of the subject be of necessity to the reception of the form, cause them to put it down. It is either true godliness, or it is common honesty and sobriety: and then farewell Papacy ; or it is learning and knowledge : and then Alphonsus Castro, and other Papists, will bear witness that some popes understood not their grammar, and one good man, saith Wernerus, being ignorant of letters, was fain to get another corn- pope to say his offices, though it happened that they could not agree, and so a third was chosen, and his choice disliked, and a fourth chosen, till there was six chosen popes alive at once. If age be necessary, then children popes have interrupted the succession. If the masculine gender be necessary, Pope Joan interrupted the succession, unless fifty of their own historians de- ceive us. But the question is whether faith in Christ be of necessity to a pope ? If so then what will you say to John XXIII. that denied the life to come, and to those that have been guilty of heresy t So that by that time they have put the necessary qualification of a pope into their definition, you shall find them silenced. But they are not agreed about the very form of the papacy. Some say he is the head of all the church others, with the general councils of Constance and Ba- sil say, that he is the head only of the singula* mem- bers, but subject to a council. So that you may see what 10* 114 JESUIT a case they will be in, if they tell you what they mean by a pope, and define him. If they use the name of a general council, call them to define what they mean by a general council. Some of them will say, it must be a true representative of the whole catholic church: so that morally they are all consenting to what is there done. But then the doubt remained], whether there be a necessity of any certain number of bishops'? If not; it seems the whole church may agree that twenty, or ten, or two, or one shall rep- • resent them, and be a general council. But if this must not hold, then must all the bishops of the world be there, or only some, and how many ? Binius saith, vol. 1. p. 313. that a general council is that where all the bishops of the world may and ought to be present, unless they be lawfully hindred, and in which none but the Pope of Rome by himself or his legates, is wont to preside. It is when all the church is morally represented, the pope presiding. How prove they that only bishops should be mem- bers of a council, and not presbyters ? By their definition they nullify many general councils, because the pope presided not there: even the first general council at Nice. By this rule we never had a general council. At the first session of the council of Trent, there were but four archbishops aud twenty-two bishops, taking in the tit- ular bishops of Upsal, Armagh, and Worcester. At divers other sessions after but eight or nine, or every few more. In the fourth session which decreed to re- ceive tradition with equal pious affection and reverence as the Holy Scriptures, and w r hich gave a false cata- logue of the canonical books, there were but the pope's legates, two cardinals, nine archbishops, and forty one prelates. Now was that the whole church morally rep- resented ? were those twenty-two, or forty-one all the bishops of the world, or the hundredth part of them? and ought all the bishops of the African, Asian, and other churches to have been there? It is plain by this definition, that a general council is but a name, and that no such thing is to be expected in the world. For, if all bishops, or half come thither, JUGGLING. 115 what shall their flocks do the while? How many years must they be traveling from America, Ethiopia, and all the remote parts of the Christian world ? So much shipping, and provision, are necessary for the convoy of so many, that the bishops are not able to de- fray the hundredth part of the charge. Abundance of them are so aged and weak, that they are unfit for the journey. Their princes are some of them infidels, and some at wars, and will never give them leave to come, They must pass through many kingdoms of the ene- mies, or that are in wars, that will never suffer them to pass. The tediousness, and hazards of the journey would be death to most of them, and so it is but a plot to put an end t:> the church. The length of general councils is such, some of them being ten years, that at Trent eighteen, that so many bishops to be long absent from home, is but to give up the church to infidelity or impiety; unless the bishops be such things as the church can spare. When they come together, they could not understand one another, because of the diver- sity of their languages. The number would be so great, that they could not converse in one assembly: so that a true general council now, is but a name to amuse those that think the world is no bigger than a man may ride over in a week's short journey. This definition is ridiculous for it is enough that all the bishops of the world may and ought to be there, whether they be there or not. But then what if lazi- ness or danger deter them or detain them ? Is that a council where bishops ought to be and are not? How- many must be present, any or none? Prove that forty bishops are a general council, because the rest ought to b<' there. Who shall be judge of each man's case whether he could or ought to have been there? Will you judge men before they are heard, or their cause known J Your saying that they ought to have been there, is no proof. Binius hath one exception, unless lawfully hinder- ed. If all the bishops in the world be lawfully hin- dred, it seems it is a general council when no body IS there: you see now what you put the Papi8t8 too, if you put them to define a general council, or tell you what they mean, by that word. 116 JESUIT CHAPTER X Papal Confusion, When they go about from councils or other history to prove the sovereignty of the pope, let thera not cheat you by confounding ; a human ordinance with a di- vine : an alterable point of order with an unalterable essential part of the church : or a mere primacy in the same order or office, with a governing sovereignty or a different order or office. Therefore we would learn of them, whether the pre- eminence and order of the five patriarchal sees, began not about the first council but was settled some while after: for till there were general councils, so called, there was no occasion of determining which should have the first, second or third seat. When ever the time was, we inquire ; whether the sees of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, were not pa- triarchal as soon as Rome? and whether councils that speak of priority, or posteriority, do not in the same manner, and on the same grounds, and to the same ends give Alexandria, and Antioch, their places, as they do to Rome? We find them speaking of them as matters of the same order and nature. W hether all those have not the same kind of right to their preeminence, wheth- er it be divine or human ? The very foundation of the patriarchal order, and of Rome's patriarchal primacy, which was the preparative to its universal sovereignty, was a mere human invention, given on occasion of the imperial seat at Rome, and not any institution of Christ to Peter and his successors. All that will not be be- fooled out of all historical verity by Popish audacity, may take it from the express words of the council of Calcedon, Act. 16, — "We following always the defini- tions of the holy fathers, and canon, and knowing those that now have been read of the 150 bishops, that were congregated under the emperor Theodosius at Constantinople, things, concerning the privileges of the same church of Constantinople. For to the seat of old Rome, because the empire of that city, the fathers JUGGLING. 117 consequently gave the privileges. And the 150 bish- ops being moved with the same intention, have given equal privileges to new Rome: reasonably judging, that the city adorned with the empire and senate, shall enjoy equal privileges with old regal Rome." Binius p. 134. It may confound all the Papal jugglers on earth to find an approved general council affirming that Rome's primacy was given by the fathers ; because it was the imperial city. On the same reason they do the like by Constantinople ; for the council of Constantinople which had gone before them on those grounds : so that you have the vote of two councils, that it was not so from the be- ginning, nor an apostolical tradition, but the act of the fathers, because of the imperial city. If a general council can err, Popery is a deceit. If it cannot err, then the very primacy in the pope was then but new, and done by man, that might do the like by others, and therefore undo this again. But say they, Pope Leo confirmed not this. Then the church representative may err, and the pope only is in- fallible. Leo and his delegates never expected one word against the saying, that it was because of the em- pire, that Rome by the fathers had the primacy given it. The reason given by themselves Concil. Constant, can. 5. is this, because Constantinople is new Rome. Binius saith that Rome receiveth not the canons of this council neither, but only their condemnation of Macedonius : and that every council hath just so much strength and authority as the apostolic seat bestoweth on it. For unless this be admitted, no reason can be given why some councils of greater numbers of bishops were reprobated ; and others of a smaller number con- firmed." Vol. 2. p. 515. What would you have more? Do you not see what the Popish church is ; and what they mean when they ask you, whether your private judgment be safer or wiser than that of the whole church, or of all the Chris- tian world? You see they mean all this while but one man, whom Gretser and others plainly confess they call the church. So that indeed it is general councils, and all the Christian world or church that are the ig- 118 JESUIT norant, fallible, and oft erring part: and it is one man T who has been reputed an incarnate devil by a general council, that is the unerring pillar of the church, and wiser than all. They make a mere nothing or mockery of general councils, any further than they please the pope? And can you expect that any thing should please them that is against his greatness, or as Julius II. calls it, his holding the place of the great God, the maker of all things, and laws t What a vile abuse is it then of the pope to trouble the world by the meet- ings and consultations of general councils, when he can sit at Rome and contradict them infallibly, and save the catholic church from the errors that general councils would else lead them into : and therefore could he not with less ado infallibly make us laws, canons and Scriptures without them ? For that which the pope can do against a general council, he can do with- out them. If he can infallibly contradict a general council, and infallibly rule us without them. There- fore you may look long enough before you see another general council. The council of Constance were neither prognosticators nor effectual lawgivers, when they prognosticated and ordained decennial coun- cils. Here also you may see what account the Papists make even of the first general councils. It is all one with them to judge others heretics for contradicting es- pecially the four first general councils, compared to the four evangelists as the Scripture itself: and yet they profess themselves to reject the canons or decrees of both those, the first of Constantinople, and that of Cal- cedon. Thus the pope is privileged from all possibility of being an heretic personally: and not only the Romish universal monarchy and vice-godhead, but even its pa- triarchal primacy was no apostolical tradition, but a human institution, founded on this consideration, that Rome was the imperial seat and city. Human it must needs be : for councils did not de- clare any part of the law of God, but ordain it as an act of their own. They and the patriarchate of Con- stantinople, which was a new seat, neither patriarch JUGGLING. 119 nor bishop residing there in the apostles' days, or long after. They give this new patriarch the second place and once made him equal with old Rome, which they would never have presumed to do, if they had thought that the patriarchship of Alexandria, Antioch, or Rome had been of divine institution: for what horrible arro- gance would that have been, when the Holy Ghost by the apostles had made Alexandria second, and An- tioch third, and Rome first, for a council to set Con- stantinople before two of them, and equal with the first. Therefore if patriarchs be desirable creatures, there may more new ones now be made, as lawfully as that of Constantinople. Therefore we judge, that to disobey the pope, or withdraw from his subjection, if he had never forfeited his patriarchship by the claim of an universal headship, were no greater a sin, than to disobey or withdraw from the patriarch of Alexandria, Antioch, or Constan- tinople. Either the government by patriarchs and archbishops is of God's ordaining and approving, or not: if not then it is no sin to reject any of them. If it be of God, then to reject any of them, though in sim- ple error, is "a sin of disobedience through ignorance, but is far from proving a man to be no member of the catholic church : for patriarchs are far from being es- sential parts of the catholic church. As in the Papists' own judgment, the catholic church may be without the patriarch of Constantinople, Alex- andria, or Antioch ; so may it therefore without the Pope of Rome. All the Greek church which hath set up the patriarch of Constantinople in competition with the pope, must needs hold that the universal primacy is of human institution: for Constantinople never pre- tended to a divine institution : and they could never have had the impudence to prefer a human before a di- vine : and therefore never thought the primacy of Rome to be of divine right. 120 JESUIT CHAPTER XI. Tradition. The great endeavor of the Papists is to advance tra- dition: the council of Trent ses. 4. hath equalled it with the Scriptures as to the pious affection and reverence wherewith they receive it. On pretence of this tradition they have added abundance of new articles to the faith, and accuse us as heretics for not receiving their tra- ditions. This is a principal difference betwixt us, that we take the Scriptures to be sufficient, to acquaint us with the will of God, as the rule of faith and holy liv- ing: and they take it to be but part of the word, and that the other part is in unwritten tradition, which they equal with this. For the maintaining of tradition it is that they write so much to the dishonor of the Holy Scripture. For the discovery of their desperate fraud in this point, and the right confuting of them , you must dis- tinguish them out of their confusion: you must grant them all that is true and just, which we shall as stilly defend as they: you must reject their errors and con- fute them : and you may turn their own principal weap- on against them, to the certain destruction of their cause. We must distinguish the tradition of the Scriptures, or the Scripture doctrine, from the tradition of other doctrines, pretended to be the rest of the word of God : between a certain proved tradition, and that which is unproved and uncertain, if not grossly feigned: between the tradition of the whole catholic church, or the great- er part, and the tradition of the lesser more corrupted and selfish the Roman part ! between a tradition of necessary doctrine or practice, and the tradition of mu- table orders : between tradition of testimony, or history, or of teaching ministry, and tradition of decisive judg- ment, as to the universal church. Suffer them not to jumble all those together, if you would not be cheated in the dark. Concerning tradition, we grant the following propo- sitions. JUGGLING 121 That the Holy Scriptures come down to us by the cer- tain tradition of our fathers and teachers ; and that what the seeing and hearing of the apostles was to them that lived with them, that tradition and belief of certain tradi- tion is to us, by reason of our distance from the time and place. So that though the Scripture bears its own evi- dence of a divine author, in the image or superscription of God upon it, yet we are beholden to tradition for the books themselves, and for much of our knowledge that those are the true writings of the apostles and prophets, and all, and not depraved, &c. The essentials of the faith have been delivered even from the apostles in other ways and forms, besides the Scriptures : as in the professions of the faith of the churches. In the baptismal covenant and signs, and whole administration. In the Lord's Supper. In Cat- echisms. In the prayers and praises of the church. In the hearts of all true believers, where God hath written all the essentials of the Christian faith and law. So that we will not do as the Papists perversly do : when God delivereth us the Christian religion with two hands, Scripture completely and verbal tradition, in the essentials ; they quarrel with Scripture on pre- tence of defending the other: so will not we quarrel with tradition, but thankfully confess a tradition of the same Christianity by unwritten means, which is delivered more fully in the Scripture: and this tradition is in some respect subordinate to Scripture, and in some respect co-ordinate, to hold us out the truth. The apostles delivered the Gospel by voice as well as by writing, before they wrote it to the churches. By that preaching we confess there were Christians- made, who had the doctrine of Christ in their hearts, and churches gathered that had his ordinances among them, before the Gospel was written. We confess that the converted were bound to teacli what they had received to their children, servants and others: that there was a settled ministry in many churches ordained to preach the gospel as they had received it from the apostles before it was written : that baptism, catechising, profession, the eucharist, prayer, praise, &c. were instituted and in use, before the Go* 11 122 JESUIT pel was written for the churches : that when the Gos* pel was written as tradition bringeth it to us, so minis- ters are commissioned to deliver both the books and the doctrine of that book, as the teachers of the church, and to preach it to those without, for their conversion : that parents and masters are bound to teach that doc- trine to their children and servants: if a minister or other person were cast into the Indies or America with out a Bible, he must teach the doctrine, though he re- membered not the words ; and by so doing might save souls : that to the great benefit of the church, writers of all ages in subserviency to Scripture have delivered down the saered verities, and historians the matters of fact : that the unanimous consent of all the churches manifested in their constant professions, and practices, is a great confirmation to us : so are the sufferings of the martyrs for the same truth : the declaration of each consent by councils is also a confirming tradition : and the confessions of heretics, Jews and other infidels, are providential and historical traditions, for confirmation : and we also profess that if we had any certain proof of a tradition from the apostles of any thing more than is written in Scripture, we would receive it. But we take the Holy Scriptures as the complete universal rule or law of faith and holy living. We know of no tradition that containeth another word of God ; and we know there is none such because the Scripture is true, which asserteth its own sufficiency. Scripture, and unwritten tradition are but two ways of acquainting the world with the same christian doctrine ; and not with divers parts of that doctrine, that tradition adds to Scripture. It is but the substance of greatest virtues that are conveyed by unwritten tradition : but that and much more is contained in the Scripture, where the christian doctrine is complete, and containeth the integrals as well as the essentials. The manner of delivery in a form of words, which no man may alter, and in so much fulness and perspi- cuity, is much to be preferred before the mere verbal delivery of the same doctrine. The memory of man cannot retain as much as the Bible doth contain, and preserve it safe from alterations or corruptions ; or if JUGGLING. 123 one man were of so strong a memory, no man can ima- gine that all should be so : or if one generation had such wonderful memories, we cannot imagine that all their posterity should have the like. If all the world had such miraculous memories, yet men are apt to be negligent either in learning or keep- ing of holy doctrine. All have not that zeal that ex- cites them to such wonderful diligence without which such a treasure could not be preserved. When so much matter is committed to bare memory without a form of unalterable words, new words may make an alteration before men are aware. The change of one word sometimes makes a whole discourse have another sense. There are so many carnal men in the world that love not the strictness of that doctrine which they do possess, and so many heretics that would pervert the holy doctrine, that it would purposely be altered by them if it could bp done ; and it mighl much more easily be done, if it lay all upon mens' memories : for one party would set their memory against the others, and tradition would be set against tradition : especially when the far greater part of the church turn heretics, as in the Arians' days ; then tradition w r ould be most at their keeping and interpretation ; and if we had not then had the unalterable Scriptures, what might they not have done 1 A whole body of doctrine kept only in memory, will soon be disjointed ; and if the matter were kept safe, yet the method and manner would be lost. There could not be such satisfactory evidence given to another of the integrity or certainty of it, as when it is preserved in writing. We should all be diffident that the laws were corrupted, or that lawyers might combine to do it at their pleasure, if there were no law books or records, but all lay in their memories. If they were faithful, yet they could not give us evidence of it. The holy truths of God, historical, doctrinal, practi- cal, prophetical, &c, without a course of miracles, or extraordinary means, could not have been kept through all ages, as well without writing, as with it. 124 JESUIT If writing be not necessary, why have we so many fathers, histories, and canons ? Why do they fetch their tradition from those and ridiculously call them unwritten verities ? Are they unwritten, when they turn us to so many volumes for them? If man's writ- ing- be necessary for their preservation, men should thankfully acknowledge that God hath taken the best way in giving it us in his own unalterable phrase. If they prove that some matters of fact are made known to us by tradition that are not in the Scripture, or that any church orders or circumstances of worship then used are so made known to us, which yet we wait for the proof of, it will not follow that any of those are therefore divine institutions, or universal laws for the unchangeable obligation of the whole church. If there be some things historically related in the Scrip- ture, that were obligatory but for a season, and ceased when the occasion ceased, as the washing of feet, the abstaining from things strangled and blood, the anoint- ing of the sick, the prophesymgs one by one, 1 Cor, xiv. 31. miraculous gifts and their exercise, ccc. it will not follow, that they are universal laws to the church. We will never take the pope's decision for a proof of tradition: nor will we receive it from pretended au- thority, but irom rational evidence. Their saying, ice are the authorised keepers of tradition, shall not go with us for proof. It is not the testimony of the Papists alone, who are not only a lesser part of the church, but a part that hath espoused a corrupt interest against the rest, that we shall take for certain proof of a tradition, but we will prefer the testimony of the whole church before the Romish church alone. They that can produce the best records of antiquity, or rational proof of the antiquity of the thing they plead for, are of more regard in the matter of tradition than millions of unlearned men. Universal tradition is preferred before the tradition of the Romish sect, and rational proof of antiquity is preferred before ignorant surmises. But where both those concur universal con- sent, and records or other credible evidence of antiqui- ty, it is most valid. JUGGLING. 125 As for the Romish traditions which they take for part of God's word ; they must produce sufficient proof that they came from the apostles, before we can receive them as apostolic tradition : and also that it was deliv- ered by the apostles as a perpetual universal doctrine or law for the whole church. Either those traditions have evidence to prove them apostolical, or no evidence. If none, how can the pope know them ? If they have evidence, why may not we know it as well as the pope? If there be any proof of these traditions, it is either some ancient records or monuments : or it is the prac- tice of the church ; but then how shall we know how long that practice hath continued, without recourse to the writings of the ancients ? Reports are very uncer- tain. If it may be known without the search of ancient records, then we may know it as well as they. If the pope and his priests have been the keepers of it, have they in all ages kept it to themselves or declared it to the church ? If they have concealed it, then it be- longed not to others : or else they were unfaithful and unfit for the office. Then how do succeeding popes and priests know it ? If they divulged it, then others know it as well as they. We have had abundance of preachers from among the Papists, who were once Pa- pists themselves, as Luther, Melancthon, Zuingluie, Calvin, Beza, Peter Mavtyr, Bucer, fyc, and yet they knew not apostolical traditions. It mars your credit with us, because we are able to prove the beginning of some of your traditions, or a time when they had no being : also the death and burial of many things that have long gone under the name of traditions. You are so confounded between your ecclesiastical decrees and traditions, and your apostolical traditions, that we despair of learning to know one from the other : and of seeing under the hand of the pope and a general council a catalogue of the true apostolical traditions. It seems to us scarce fair dealing that in one thousand years time, the church could never have an enumeration and description of those traditions, with the proofs of them. 11* 126 JESUIT It is abominable impiety for you to equal your tradi- tions with the Holy Scripture, till you have enumerated and proved them. It makes us suspect your traditions, when we perceive that they or their patrons have such an enmity to the Holy Scriptures, that they cannot be rightly defended without casting some reproach upon the Scriptures. But this is no new thing with the ap- plauders of tradition. The eighth general council at Constantinople, Can. 3, decreed that the image of Christ should be ado red with equal honor with the holy Scripture. If your own councils themselves, are for the suffi- ciency of Scripture, what then has become of all your traditions ? Binius, p. 299, Council of Basil, Ragusii Orat. — " Faith and all things necessary to salvation, both matter s of belief and matter s of practice, are founded in the literal sense of Scripture, and only from that may argumentation be taken for the proving of those things that are matters of faith, or necessary to salvation ; and not from those passages that are spoken by allegory, or other spiritual sense. The Holy Scripture in the literal sense soundly and well understood, is the infal- lible and most sufficient rule of faith." This is the Protestant doctrine. There is nothing any way neces- sary to faith or salvation, but what is contained in the Scriptures, either expressly, or as the conclusion in the premises. We grant tradition or ehurch practices are very useful for our better understanding of some Scrip- tures : but, what is this to another traditional word ot God? Prove your traditions by inference from Scrip- ture and we receive them. This is the doctrine for Scripture. Sufficiency and perfection are the rule of faith and life, admitting no ad- dition as necessary, but explication. When this doc* trine past so lately in a Popish council, you may see that the very doctrine of tradition equalled with Scrip- ture, or being another word of God, necessary to faith and salvation, containing what is wanting in Scripture, is but lately sprung up in the world. The Papists get little by their argument from tradi- tion : they lose by it all their cause. For two things they much plead tradition ; their pri- vate doctrines and practices, in which they disagree JUGGLING. 127 from all Christians ; and there they lose their labor with the judicious : because they give us no sufficient proof that their tradition is apostolical, and because the dissent of other churches showeth that it is not universal. The other cause for which they plead tradition is the doctrine of Christianity itself; with a design to lead men to the church of Rome : as if we must be no Chris- tians, unless we are Christians upon the credit of the pope, and his subjects. We do not strive against tradition or testimony of an- tiquity for the Scripture, or for Scripture doctrine : we make much advantage of such just tradition. We ac- cept our religion from both the hands of Providence that bring it us ; Scripture and tradition ; and we abhor the contempt which those partial disputers cast upon Scrip- ture ; but we are not therefore so partial ourselves as to refuse any collateral or subordinate help for our faith. Tha more testimonies the better. The best of us have need of all the advantages for our faith that we can get. When they have extolled the certainty of tradition to the highest, we gladly join with them, and accept of any certain tradition of the mind of God. I advise all who would prove themselves wise defenders of the faith, to take heed of rejecting arguments from providences, or any necessary testimony of man, especially concerning matter of fact, or of rejecting true church history, be- cause the Papists overvalue it under the name of tra- dition, lest such prove guilty of the like partiality and injuriousness to the truth as the Papists are. Whereas the Papists imagine, that this must lead us to their church for tradition, I answer we go beyond the Papists in ar- guing for just tradition of the Christian faith, and make- far greater advantage of it than they can do. They ar- gue but from authoritative decision by the pope, undei the name of church tradition, whereas we argue from true history and certain antiquity, and prove what we say. Their tradition is no tradition : for it must be taken upon the credit of a man, supposed infallible [by super- natural, if not miraculous endowment; which is not tra- dition but prophesy. If they prove the man to be such a man, it is all one to the church whether he say that 128 JESUIT this was the apostles' doctrine, or this I deliver myself to you from God. For he is so qualified, he has the pow- er and credit of a prophet or apostle himself : therefore they must prove the pope to be a prophet, before their tradition can get credit : and when they have done that there is no need of it. When Papists speak of tradition confusedly, they give us just reason to call them to define their tradition, and tell us what they mean by it, before we dispute with them upon an ambiguous word ; seeing they are so divid- ed among themselves, that one party understands one thing by it, and another another thing ; which we must not suffer those jugglers to jumble together and confound. Another advantage in which we go beyond the Papists for tradition, is, that as we argue not from the mere pre- tended supernatural infallibility or authority of any ; as they do, but from rational evidence of true antiquity ; so we argue not from a sect or party as they do, but from the universal church. As far as the whole church of Christ is of larger extent and greater credit than the Popish party, so far is our tradition more credible than theirs. The Papists are fewer by far than the rest of the nom- inal christians in the world. And the testimony of many is more than of a part. The Papists above other parties have espoused an interest that leads them to preten i and corrupt tradition, and bend all things to that inter- est of their own, that they may lord it it over all the world : but the whole church can have no such interest and partiality. The Papists are but one side ; and he that will judge rightly, must hear the other sides speak too. But the tradition that we make use of, is from all sides concurring; even Papists themselves agree with us in many points. Our tradition reacheth farther than the universal church, for we take in all rational evidence of Jews, heathens, heretics, and persecutors ; that bear witness to the mat- ters of fact, and what was the doctrine and practice of the christians in their times, and what books thev made the ground of their faith. So that as impartial history or testimony differeth from private assertion, or from the testimony of one party only ; so doth our tradition excel JUGGLING. 129 both the sorts of Popish tradition, both that of the Papal, and that of the council party. But we have not done with them, till tradition has given them their mortal stroke. You appeal to tradition, to tradition you shall go. But what tradition? The tradition of the catholic church ? and where is that to be found and known ? but in the profession and practice of the church, and in the records of the church? The great questions between you and us, are these : Whether the pope be the head and sovereign ruler of the whole catholic church ? and whether the catholic church and the Roman are of equal extent ? Inquire of the present church : and there we have the profession and practice of all the Greeks ; the Syrians ; the Moscovites ; the Georgians; and all others dispers- ed throughout the Turk's dominions, with the Jacobites, Armenians, Egyptians, Abassines, and all other church- es in Europe, &c. which disclaim the headship of the ttorrmn pnpp AJl tko^o wltli one mouth proclaim that the church of Rome is not, and ought not to be the mis- tress of the world, or of all other churches, but that the pope for laying such claim is a usurper, and the anti- Christ. This is the tradition of the Greeks; of the Ab- assines, and the greatest part of the church on earth agree in this. What then is become of the Roman sov- ereignty, by the verdict of tradition ; even from the vote of the greatest part of the church ? Rome hath no right to its pretended sovereignty, Babylon is fallen by the judgment of tradition. If you say that all those are heretics or schismatics, and therefore have no vote, we answer : a minor parry, partial and corrupt, seeking dominion over the rest, may not step into the tribunal, and pass sentence against the catholic church, or the greatest part of it. But your common saying is, that the Greeks, Protestants, and all the rest were once of your church, and departing from it, they can have no tradition but yours. Go to former ages, seeing it is not the present church whose voice you will regard. But how shall we know the way and mind of the ages past T If by the present age, then the greater part giveth us their sense against you. If by the records of 130 JUGGLING. those times, we are content to hear the testimony of these. When we look into the ancients we find them against you ; and no footsteps of your usurped sover- eignty, but a contrary frame of government, and a con- sent of antiquity against it. When we look into later history we find, how by the advantages of Rome's tem- poral greatness and the emperor's residence there your greatness begun, and preparation was made to yout usurpation, and how the translation of the imperial seat to Constantinople made them your competitors, in the claim of an universal headship ; and how it being once made a question, you got it by a murdering emperor who took your side for his own advantage. It was not till Hildebrand's days that you could get any possession. In- stead of apostolical tradition for your sovereignty ; eight hundred years after the days of Christ, you had not so much of the catholic church in your subjection, as you have now. At six hundred years after Christ no known pan of the world acknowledged ^om- v^Wrorcal C Avor. eignty ; but only the Latin western church submitted to the pope as their patriach, and the first in order among the patriarchs. In the days of Constantine and the Nicene council, he was but a bishop of the richest and most numerous church of Christians : and for a hundred years after Christ, he was no more than the presbyter of a particular church. The Ethiopian churches of Habassia, the Indians, Per- sians, &c. were never your subjects. England, Scot- land and Ireland were not only long from under you, but resisted you, maintaining the council of Chalcedon against you, and joining with the eastern churches against you, about Easter day. The eastern churches also were never your subjects. Canus Loc. TJieol. lib, 6. cap. 7. saith; not only the Greeks, but almost all the rest of the bishops of the whole world, have vehemently sought to destroy the privileges of the church of Rome : and indeed they had on their side, both the arms of emperors, and the greater number of churches: and yet they could never prevail to abrogate the power of the pope of Rome. The catholic church was not then your subjects, when the greater number of churches, and most of the bishops of the whole world, as JESUIT 131 well as Greeks, were against you, and vehemently fought against your pretended privileges. Rainerius contra Waldeneses Cat ah in Bibliotheca Patrum, Tom. 4. p. 773. saith, the churches of the Ar- menians, and Ethiopians, and Indians, and the rest which the apostles converted, are not under the church of Rome. What would you have plainer ? You may conjecture at the numbers of those churches by what a legate of the pope that lived among them, saith of one corner of them, Jacob, a Vitriaco Histor. Orient, cap. 77 : the churches in the easterly parts of Asia alone ex- ceeded in multitude the Christians both of the Greek and Latin Churches. Alas, how little a thing then was the Roman church ! If all this were not enough, the tradition of your own church destroys the papacy utterly. "A general coun- cil is above the pope, and may judge him and depose him ; that is of faith, it is heresy to deny it ; and this is so sure that no wise man ever doubted it." This is the judg- ment of the general council of Basil, with whom that of Constance doth agree. Whether those councils were confirmed or not, they confess them lawfully called and owned, and extraordinarily full. So they were their church representative ; and so the pope's sovereignty over the council is gone by tradition. If a free general council should be called, all the churches in the world must be equally there represented : and if they were so, then down goes the usurped headship of the pope: for most of the churches in the world are against it : and therefore in council they would have the major vote. And thus by the concession of the Roman representa- tive church the pope is gone by tradition. CHAPTER XII. Papal Sovereignty. Another of the Roman frauds is this: They persuade men that the Greeks, the Protestants, and all other churches, were once under the Papal sovereignty, and 132 JESUIT have separated themselves without any just cause : and therefore ice are all schismatics ; and have no vote in general councils, &c. This is a vain accusation. Abundance of churches had not any notable communion with you. The Greek churches withdrew from your communion, but not from your subjection. If any of the patriarchs or emperors of Constantinople did for carnal ends submit to you, it was not the act of the churches, nor owned, nor of long continuance. So that it w s state than before, and are commonly carnal. Thai the monks had their female devotees, with whom, by the prelate's lice sed. Bci:__' sent to preach they go to lewd- ness. That there was scarcely any of the nuns with- out her carnal u. :y, by which they broke their Thai was the h ..;• Papa In book 2. art. 28, he s "Mosl fthe clergy mix . drunkpnnp^ and whoredom, mmon vice, and most of them give matured vice. Thus continually, and publicly, do they offend against that chastity they promised to the Lord: besides those evils to be named which in secret they commit, which papers will not receive, nor pen can write. n Abundance e he hath of the same subject, and their putting their youth into house- . sc lomy. That book of . i PelagimSj B . a rm in cal Is Li b t r i nsignu . S * . E Ifatth. Paris, p. 819, tells us of cardinal Hugo's farewell speech to the people of Lyons when he departed the pope's court; "Friends, said he, since we came to this city we have broug _ mmodity and alms. When we came hither we found three or four brothels, but now at our departure we leave but one, but that one reacheth from the east gate to the west gate. n O holy pope ! and holy church ! Costerus the Jesuit easilv answers all that is said. Eh- JUUGLINt*. 221 chirid. cap. 2. de Eccles. "The church loseth not the name Holy, as long as there is but one who is truly holy." Is this your sanctity 1 If the head be unholy, an essen- tial part is unholy ; and therefore the church cannot be holy. One person is not the matter of the church, as one drop of wine cast into the sea doth not make it a sea of wine ; one Italian in England makes not England Ital- ian ; nor does one learned man make England learned. Let the Papists observe, that it is from the very words of their own authors, that I have spoken of them what is here recited, and not from their adversaries. And therefore I am so far from believing the Gospel upon the account that their church is holy that recom- mendeth it, or from believing them to be the only church of Christ because of their holiness, that I must bless God that I live in a sweeter air and cleaner society, and should be loth to come out of the garden to go into their sink to be made clean or sweet. The traveller learned more wit, who left us his resolution ; — "Rom. a vale; vidi ; satis est vidisse ; rcvartar Cum leno aut meretrix, seurra, cinadus ero." "Rome! Farewell; enough! Ihave seen thee. 1 will return to thee when I am a villain and a beast ! " 2. The second proof which they bring of the holiness of their church, is, the strict life of their friars, as Carthusians, Franciscans, and others. Travellers tell lamentable stories of friars ; and Guil. de Amore, and his companions have said much more, and many other Popish writers paint them in an odious garb* This also shows the pollution of your church in comparison to our churches, that holiness and religion are such rarities and next to miracles among von, that it must be cloistered up, or confined to certain orders that are properly called religious, as if the people had no religion or holiness. When our care and hope is to make all our parishes far more religious and holy than your monasteries or convents. ->. Their third proof of the holiness of the Papists is derived from their unmarried priests. Because the es- sential parts of your church nearest concern yoilT Cause, I ask — Was it not Pope John \ 1. who had Theodora for 19* £22 JEstiT iiis mistress? Was it not Pope Sergius III. who was the father of Pope John XII. by Marosia? Did not John XII. or XIII., according to Luitprand and other Po- pish writers defile virgins ; and married women even at the doors of his palace, and was finally killed by a hus- band who caught him in adultery'? Did not a Papist write the following distich of Pope Innocent ? •• Ode Nbcens pmeros genuit totidemque puello*. Hunc mcrito potuit dictre Rome patruu 11 That sinner had eight sons and eight daughters. Rightly did Rome call him their Father!" Whose son was Aloisus, made Prince of Parma by Pope Paul III. ? For your archbishops, prelates, priests &c. I shall add but the words of Dominicus Soto de Listit. et Jure qu. 6. art. 1. "We do not deny that the clergy keep concubines, and are adulterers." Paul directed Timothy and Titus to ordain a bishop that was the husband of one wife, and ruled well his house, having his children in subjection. The church long held to that doctrine. Greg. Xyssen was a married bishop. But if you are wiser than the Spirit of God. or can change his laws, or can prove the Holy Ghost so im- mutable as to give one law by Paul and other apostles, and another by the pope, we will believe you and for- sake the Scripture, when you can bewitch and charm us to it. We believe that a single life may be of convenience to a pastor, when it can be held ; but that Christ's rule must be observed, " every man cannot receive this sav- ing, but he that can, let him receive it:'* but we do nut teach, as the Jesuits do, that a man may lawfully go into a brothel, though he hath found by experience be is overcome. Lest the vices of your priests should be laid open and punished, you exempt them from the secular power, and will not have a magistrate question them for any crimes. It is one of Pope Xicholas' decrees, Caranza, p. 395 ; M Xo layman must judge a priest, nor examine any thing of his life. And no secular prince ought to judge the facts of any prelates or priests whatsoever."* That is the way to be wicked quietly, and sin without noise and infamv. I JUGGLING. 223- Those among us who are known to be ungodly and scandalous, are not owned by us, nor are members of our church, or admitted to the Lord's Supper in those congregations that exercise church discipline ; but they are only as catechumens, whom we preach to and in- struct, if not cast out. Your eighth general council at Constantinople, Can. 14. decreed, " ministers must not fall down to princes, nor eat at their tables, nor debase themselves to them ; but emperors must take them as equals." But we are so far from establishing pride and arrogancy by a law, that though we hate servile flattery and man pleasing, yet we think it our duty to be the servants of all, and to condescend to men of low estate, and much more to honor our superiors and God in them. The same council decreed, Canon. 21, " None must compose any accusations against the pope." No mar- vel then if all popes go for innocents. Because you charge our churches with unholiness, and that with such an height of impudence, as I am certain the devil himself doth not believe you, even that there is not one good among us, nor one that hath charity, nor can be saved, unless by turning Papist ; I tell you, that I doubt not but the churches in England, are purer far than those were in the days of Augustin, Jerom, l the faults of his saints, nor shall I mention any, hut what are confessed by themselves, and to boast of our own purity 1 take to be a detestable thing, and contrary to 224 JESUIT that sense of sin that is in every Saint of God : but yet if the Lord's churches and servants are slandered and re- proached, as they were by the heathens ot old, the vin- dicating them is a duty which we owe to Christ, and you are the cause of the inconveniences. Those ministers that I converse with, are partly mar- ried and partly unmarried. The married live soberly, in conjugal chastity, as burning and shining lights before the people, in exemplary holiness of life. The unmar- ried also give up themselves to the Lord and to his ser- vice. And for the people of our communion, through the mercy of God, open sins are so rare, that if one in a church be guilty once, we all lament it, and bring them to penitence, or disown them, and they are the pity of all the congregation. Were the churches better in the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, or following ages 1 No. That is proved by the sad histories of the crimes of those times, and by the lamen- table complaints of Basil, Gregory Nazianzen, and Gregory Nyssen, and Chrysostom, Austin, &c. What complaints are made by Gildas of the British Church ? What a doleful description have we of the Christian pastors and people in his days from Salvian de Guber- nat. ? I judge also by the canons, and by the fathers' direc- tions concerning offenders. Thus Gregory saith of drunkards ; Quod cum venia sus ingenio sunt relin- quendi, ne deteriores jiant, si a tali consuetudine evel- lantur. Was this the Roman sanctity even then ? Was that Saint Gregory's sanctity, that drunkards must be let alone with pardon, lest if they be forced from their custom they be made worse ? If such advice were but given by one of us, it would cast us out of our ministry. We dare not let one drunkard alone in our church com- munion, where church discipline is set up. Augustin saith ; " Drunkenness is a mortal sin, if it be daily or usual. And that they must be dealt with gently and by fair words, and not roughly and sharply." If one of us should make so light of drunkenness, what should we be thought ? Aquinas 22. q. 150. art. 1. 4 ; art 2. 1. Many canons determine, " Priests that will not part JUGGLING. 225 with their concubines, shall be suspended from officia- ting, till they let them go." Whereas with us, a man is ejected who should have a concubine but once. Gratian Distinct. 34, citeth c. 17, of the Toletan coun- cil, saying, " He that hath not a wife, but a concubine in her stead, shall not be put from the communion." The whole canon is thus ; " If any believer have a wife and a concubine, let him not communicate. But he that hath no wife, and hath a concubine instead of a wife, may not be put from the communion. Only let him be con- tent with one woman, either wife or concubine, which he will. He that liveth otherwise, let him be cast off, till he give over, and return to penitence." In an English council at Berghamsted an. 697, the se- venth canon is this; "If a priest leave his adultery, and do not naughtily defer baptism, nor is given to drunken- ness, let him keep his ministry, and the privilege of his habit." Spelman. King Alured in the preface to his laws tells us ; " except treason and desertion of their Lords, the councils of the clergy did lay but some pecu- niary mulct on other sins." Spelman. Johnson's Laws and canons. All this shows that the church then was much more corrupt than ours now in England. The best of the fathers had such blots, that I may well make their confessions another discovery that our churches are as pure and holy as theirs. Augustin, whilst he leaned to the Manichces. confesseth himself guilty of fornication. Jerom that was so vehement for virginity and lived a monastic life, doth yet confess that he was not a virgin, Bernard, who lived so contem- plative a life, in his Serm.de beata virgine ? 232 jesuit world, that neither you nor we can account for the be- ginning of every error that creepeth into the church: for the distance of time is great. Historians are not so exact: and what they tell us not, neither you. nor we can know — Much history is perished — Much is corrupted by your wicked forgeries — Mixtures of fables have hindered the credit of much of it — Nations are not individual persons, but consist of millions of individuals^: and as it is not a whole nation that is con- verted to the faith at once, so neither is it whole nations that are perverted to heresy at once, but one receiveth it first, and then more and more, till it overspread the whole. Paul saith that such doctrine eateth like gan- grene": and that is by degrees, beginning on one part, and proceeding to the rest. That which is at first re- ceived but as an opinion and an indifferent thing, must have time to grow into a custom, and that custom maketh it a law, and makes opinions grow up to be articles of faith, and ceremonies grow to be necessary things. This is the common way of propagating opinions in the world. Usher de successu, et statu Ecchs. Momatf s Mysteiy of Iniquity, and Rivet in the defence of him against Coster ellus. Pet. Molinaus hath purposely written a book de Novitate Papismi, et Antiqvitate veri Christiamsmi, showing the newness of Popery in the several parts of it. 4. Can you tell us yourselves, when many of your doctrines or practices sprung up? When took you up your Sabbath' s fast, for such you have been condemn- ed by a council ? When the twentieth canon of the Nicene council, and when the canons at Trull were made. It was the practice of the church through the known world, to pray and perform other worship stand- ing, and to avoid kneeling on the Lord's day: Tell us when this canon and tradition was first violated by you, and by whom ? It was once the custom of your church to give infants the Eucharist : Who first broke it off? It was once your practice to communicate in both kinds : Who first denied the cup to the Laity? At first it was only a doubtful opinion, that saints are to be prayed to, and the dead prayed for, which came into men's minds about the third or fourth century: But JUGGLING. 233 who first made them articles of faith ? Augustin began to doubt, whether there were not some kind of Purga- tory : But who first made this also a point of faith? Who was it that first added the books of the Maccabees, and many others to the canon of Scripture, contrary to the council of Laodicea, and all the rest of the consent of antiquity. Who was it that first taught and prac- tised the putting an oath to all the clergy of the Chris- tian church to be true to the Pope, and to obey him as the Vicar of Christ ? Who first taught men to swear that they would not interpret Scripture, but according to the unanimous consent of the Fathers ? Who was the first that brought in the doctrine or name of Transub- stantiation ? and who first made it an article of faith ? Who first made it a point of faith to believe that there are just seven sacraments, neither fewer nor more? Did any before the council of Trent swear men to re- ceive and profess without doubting, all things delivered by the canons and Oecumenical councils, when at the same time the}r cast off themselves the canons of many general councils, and so are generally and knowingly perjured? These and abundance more you know to be novelties with you, if wilfulness or gross ignorance bear not rule with you; and without great impudence you cannot deny it. Tell us when these first came up. and satisfy yourselves. JEneas Sylvius, Epist. 288, saith, " before the coun- cil of Nice, there was little respect had to the church of Rome." You see here the time is mentioned, when your foundation was not laid. Cardinal Nicolas Cusauus, tie Concord. Cat hoi. c. 13, &c, as plainly tells you; "that the Papacy is but of positive right; and that the priests are equal ; and that it is subjectional consent that gives the pope and bishops their majority; and that the distinction of dio- cess, and that a bishop be over presbyters, are of posi- tive right; and that Christ gave no more to Peter than the rest; and that if the Congregate Church should choose the bishop of Trent for their president or head, he should be more properly Peter's successor than the bishop of Rome." Toll us now when did the contrary doctrine first arise? 20* 134 JESUIT Gregory de Volenti*, de leg. fern Euchar. cap. 10. states, '• that the receiving the sacrament in one kind, be^an not by the decree of any bishop, but by the very use of the churches, and the consent of believers : and that it is unknown when that custom first began, or got head, but that it was general in the Latin Church, not long before the late council of Constance."' And may not see in this, how other points came in ? I: Pope Zosimus had but had his will, and the fa- thers of the Carthage council had not diligently dis red. shamed, and resisted his forgery, the world had received a new Xicene canon, and we should ne- ver have known the original of it. The Latin tongue was the vulgar tongue, when the Liturgy and Scripture was first written in it : at Rome, and far and near, i: was understood by all. The service was not changed, as to the language: but the language it- changed : and so Scripture and Liturgy came to be in an unknown tongue. When did the Latin tongue cease to be understood by all ? Tell us what year, or •vhom the change was made? E i DecL ad P . :'::. 12, sect. 41. saith : "The vulgar tongue was not taken from the people, but the people departed from ir 5 Your errors were not in the times of the apostles, nor long after, and therefore they are innovations. If I find a man in a dropsy, or a consumption, I would not tell him, that he is well, and ought not to seek remedy, unless he can tell when he began to be ill, and what caused it. You take us to be heretical : and yet you cannot tell us when our errors did first arise. Will you tell us of Luther ? You know the Albigenses whom you mur- dered by hundreds and thousands, were long before him. Do you know when they begun t Your Reine- rius saith. that some said, they were from Silvesters days: and some said since the apostles: but no other beginning do you know. 6. What need we any more than to find you owning the very doctrine and practice of innovation?- When you maintain that you can make us new articles of faith, and new worship, and new discipline, and that JUGGLING. 235 the Pope can dispense with the Scriptures, and such like; what reason have we to believe that your church abhorreth novelty ? Pope Leo X., among other of Luther's opinions, reckoned and opposed this as heretical ; " It is certain that it is not in the hand of the church or pope, to make articles." Bulla cont. Luther. The council of Constance that took the supremacy justly from the pope, did unjustly take the cup from the laity in the Eucharist; " Though in the primitive church this sacrament was received by believers under both kinds." The council of Trent say, Sess. 21. cap. 1,2; M This power was always in the church : that in dispensing the sacraments, saving the substance of them, it might ordain or change things, as it should judge most expe- dient to the profit of the receiver." Vasquez To. 2. Disp. 216. N. 60, saith ; "Though we should grant that this was a precept of the apostles, nevertheless the church and pope might on just causes abrogate it : for the power of the apostles was no greater than the power of the church and pope, in bringing in precepts." Pope Innocent says ; by the fulness of our power, we candispense with the law above law. The Gloss therein saith; "The pope dispenseth against the apostle; against the Old Testament. The pope dispenseth with the Gospel, interpreting it." Gregory de Valent. Tom. 4. disp, h. 8; saith; " Certainly some things in later times are more rightly constituted in the church than they were in the beginning." Cardinal Perron said, lib. 2. Obs. 3. cap, 3. against King James ; on the authority of the church to alter matters contained in the Scripture: and he instanced of the form of sacra- ments being alterable ; and the Lord's command, drink ye all of it, mutable and dispensable. Tolet ; M It is cer- tain, that all things instituted by the apostles were not of divine right. Andradius Defens. Concil. Trid. lib. 2. p. 236 ; hence it is plain that they do not err that say the popes of Rome may sometime dispense with laws made by Paul and the four first councils. Bzovius saith ; M The Roman church using apostolical power, 236 jesuit doth according to the condition of times, change all things for the better." And yet will you submit to be taken for changers and novelists? Chemnitius Exam- in. concil. Trident. Augustin Triumph, de Ancon. q. 5. art. l,saith; "To make a new creed, belongs only to the pope : because he is the head of the Christian faith, by whose author- ity all things belonging to faith are confirmed and strengthened." Art. 2 ; "As he may make a new creed, so he may multiply new articles upon new arti- cles." Im Prcefat. sum. ad Johan 22; " The pope's pow- er is infinite : because the Lord is great, and his strength great, and of his greatness there is no end:" and Q 36 : " The pope giveth the motion of direction, and the sense of knowledge, to all the members of the church ; for in him we live and move and have our being. The will of God, and consequently the pope's will, who is his vicar, is the first and chief cause of all motions cor- poral and spiritual" Then no doubt he may change without blame. Abbas Panormitan. cap. C. Christus de hceret. n. 2. saith ; " The pope can bring in a new article of faith," Peter de Anchor an. asserts; " The pope can make new articles of faith; such as now ought to be believed, when before they ought not to be believed." Turrccremat. sum. de Heel, lib, 2. cap. 203, said; "The pope is the measure and rule, and science of things to be believed." August, de Ancona shews us that "the judgment of God is not higher than the pope's, but the same ; therefore no man may appeal from the pope to God:" Qu. 6. Art, 1. The following is a great Popish argument for the Papacy. " It will not be denied that the church of Rome was once a most pure, excellent, flourishing and mother church ; and her faith renowned, in the world, Rom. 1. 8. et 6. et 16. White's Def. Wkitaker' s Answer to Sanders. Fulke cap. 21. Thes. 7. Reynolds Conclusion 5. That church could not cease to be such, but she must fall either by apostacy, heresy, or schism. Apostacy is not only a renouncing of the faith of Christ; but of the name and title of Christianity. No man will say that the church of Rome had such a fall, or so fell. JUGGLING. 237 Heresy is an adhesion or fast cleaving to some pri- vate or singular opinion, or error in faith, contrary to the generally approved doctrine of the church. If the church of Rome did ever adhere to any singu- lar or new opinion, disagreeable to the common receiv- ed doctrine of the Christan world, I pray you satisfy me in those particulars; by what general council was she ever condemned ? which of the fathers ever writ against her? by what authority was she otherwise re- proved ? For it seems to be a thing very incongruous, that so great a church should be condemned by every private person, who hath a mind to condemn her. Schism is a departure or division from the unity of the church, whereby the bond and communion held with some former church is broken and dissolved. If ever the church of Rome divided herself from any body of faithful Christians, or broke communion, or went forth from the society of any elder church, I pray you satisfy me in those particulars; whose company did she leave ? from what body went she forth? where was the true church she forsook ? It appears not a little strange, that a church should be accounted schismatical, when there cannot be assign- ed any other church different from her, which from age to age since Christ's time hath continued visible, from which she departed." Answer to the foregoing Argument. If the author of this argument thinks as he speaks, it is a case to be lamented with tears of blood, that the church of Christ should be abused, and the souls of men deluded by men of so great ignorance. But if he knew that he doth but juggle and deceive, it is lamenta- ble that any matter of salvation should fall into such hands. The word church here is ambiguous, and either sig- nifieth, a particular church which is an association of Christians for personal communion in God's worship, or divers such associations, or churches associated for communion by their officers or delegates, for unity sake. Or else it may signify one mistivss clinic li that is the ruler of all the re*t in the world. Or else it 238 jesuit may signify the universal church itself, which contain- eth all the particular churches in the world. The Papist should not have played either the blind man or the juggler by confounding those, and never tel- ling us which he means. For the first we grant him that Rome was once an excellent flourishing church, and so was Ephesus, Jerusalem, Philippi, Colosse and many more. As to the second sense, it is human or from church custom, so to take the word church ; for Scripture doth not so use it: but for the thing we are indifferent: though it cannot be proved that in Scripture times Rome had any more than one particular church. As to the third and fourth senses, we deny, as confi- dently as we do that the sun is darkness, that ever in Scripture times Rome was either a mother to all churches, or the ruler and mistress of all, or yet the universal church itself. Prove that and twill turn Papist ! But there is not a word for it in the texts cited, but an intimation of much against it. Paul calleth Rome a church and commendeth its faith : but doth he not so by the Thessalonians, Colossians, Ephesians, Philip- pians, &c. and John by the Philadelphians, Pergamos, Thyatira, and others, as well ? And will not this prove that Rome was but such a particular church as one of them ? Rome was once a true and famous particular church, but never the unirersal church, nor the ruler of the world, or of all other churches, in Paul's days. Would you durst lay your cause on this, and put it to the trial? Why else did never Paul make one word of mention of this power and honor, nor send other churches to her to be governed ? What is it to me, whether Rome be turned either apostate, heretical, or schismatical, any more than whether Jerusalem, Ephesus, Philippi, or any other church be so fallen ? if you are not fallen I am glad of it ; if you are I am sorry for it ; and so I have done with you, unless I knew how to recover you. Would you not laugh at the church of Jerusalem that was truly the mother church of the world, if they should thus reason; " We are not fallen away: therefore we must JUGGLING. 239 rule over all the world, and no man is a Christian that doth not obey us? " We accuse you not of renouncing the name of Christ: but according to your own definition of heresy, you are guilty of many heresies. To your questions, I answer. What general coun- cils did ever condemn one half of the heresies mention- ed by Epiphanius, Augustin or Philastrius 1 Was there ever a greater rabble of heresies than before ever a ge- neral council was known? and were they dead and buried before the first general council was born ? Did you not smile when you wrote those delusory questions ; How can a general council condemn you, or any great part of the church ? for instance, the Greeks, &c. If you be not there, it is not a general council ? And will you be there to condemn yourselves ? You have more wit, and less grace. General councils did ever con- demn the Greeks, for those many errors charged on them ? If the Greeks themselves were not there, it was not a general council : so considerable a part are they of the professing church. And what general council hath condemned the Abassines, Egyptians, &c. Do you think general councils are so stark mad or horridly impious, as to condemn so many kingdoms with one condemnation for heresy? They know that men must be heard, before they be condemned, and a kingdom consisteth of many millions of souls. It is not enough to know every man's faith, if we know the faith of the king, or pope, or arch-bishop, or prelates. How long shall they be examining each person in many kingdoms? Yet I can say more of your church than of others. He that kills the head, kills the man. Your usurping head is an essential part of your new-formed church but your head hath been condemned by councils ; there- fore your church in its essential part hath been con- demned by councils. Do you not know that all the world condemned your Pope Marcellinus for offer- ing to idols ? Know you not that two or three general councils condemned Pope Honorius as a monothelite t that the second general council of Ephesus condemned and excommunicated your pope? And that the council 240 JESUIT of Basil, called by him, did the like ? If you do not, see Bellarmin's parallel of them, de. Conciliis lib. 2. cap. 11. Do I need to tell you what the council of Constance did ? Or for what John XXII, alias XXIII, and John XIII, and other Popes were deposed by coun- cils? Do I need to tell you how many Fathers condemned Marcellinus, Liberius, Ilonorius and others 1 How oft Hilary Pictavius fragmentis in Epist. Liberii, doth cry out, Anathema tibi, Liberi, prevaricator : presuming to curse and excommunicate your pope. Need I tell you what Tertullian saith against Zephe- rinus ? what Alphonsus a Castro, and divers of your own, say against Liberius, Honorius, Anastasius, Oe- lestin; and tell us that many popes have been heretics ? At least permit us to believe Pope Adrian VL, himself. Bannes in T. 2. q. 1. art. 10, proves at large against Pighius, that a pope may be a heretic; and laughs at Pighius that now, after two hundred years, would prove them false witnesses, who write that Pope Hon- orius was condemned for a heretic by three popes, Agatho, Leo II. and Adrian II. But though the popes have been condemned by councils, yet so have not your maintained doctrines. Did net the councils at Constantinoplecondemn the doc- trine of the second Nicene council for image-worship, and the council at Frankford do the like? and those two at Constantinople were much more general than your council of Trent was. That same council at Nice condemned the doctrine of Thomas Aquinas, and your doctors commonly, of worshipping the image of Christ, and the cross, and sign of the cross, with Latria, divine worship. Did not your general councils at Lateran and Flor- ence declare that the pope i above a council, and that they cannot depose him ? Yet your general councils at Constance and Basil determine the contrary as an article of faith, and expressly affirm the former to be heresy. Then your own doctrine, even in a fundamen- tal point, is condemned by general councils of your own, which side soever you take, the pope's, or the council's. Did not the sixth council of Carthage, of which JUGGLING. 241 Augustin was a principal member, not only detect Pope Zosimus' forged canon of Nice, but also openly and prevalently resist and reject his usurpation, and refuse his Legates and Appeals? Pope Boniface, Epist. ad Eulalium, says, " Aurelius, sometime bishop of Carth- age, with his colleagues, did begin, by the devil's insti- gation to wax proud against the church of Rome, in the times of our predecessors, Boniface and Celestin." Harding against Jewel's challenge, art. 4. sect. 19: says, "After the whole African church had persevered in schism the space of twenty years, and had removed- themselves from the obedience of the apostolic seat, being seduced by Aurelius Bishop of Carthage." Aus- tin was one of them. But you say, that this was not a general council. True; for when part riseth against part, it cannot be the whole that is on either side. Do you not know that the Greeks have often con- demned you? Truly their councils have been much more general than yours at Trent was; where about forty bishops altered the canon of Scripture, and made tradi- tion equal with it. This one county -would have af- forded a far better council of a greater number. One general council hath condemned your very foundation; and that is the fourth general council at Calcedon, Act. 15. Can, 28, and Act. 16; where you may find, that the ancient privileges of the Roman throne were given them by the fathers in council. That the reason was, because Rome was the Imperial city. That they give equal privileges to the seat of Constantinople, because it was now become new Rome: and that the Roman Legates would not be present at that act. But the next day when they did appear, and pre tended that this act was forced, the bishops all cried; " No man was compelled. It is a just decree. We all say thus. We approve it. We all approve it. Let that stand that is decreed. It is all right." That general council thought they needed not the pope's approbation for the validity of their decrees ; when they pass them and take them for valid, even contrary to the will of the pope. Did that council think that their decrees were invalid, if the pope ap- 21 242 jesuit prove them not? They did not. And who is now to be believed ? Bellarmin and his party, and the present prevalent party of the Papists, that say, councils not approved by the pope are invalid or without authority: or the council of Calcedon that thought otherwise? The pope's legates called that proceeding; "A hum- bling, and depressing, and wronging of the Papacy; and therefore entered their dissent." Bellarmin Con- fession lib. 2. de Pontif. cap. 17. Binius Notes on that council. Baronius an. 451. The shifts of Bellarmin, Binius, Baronius, Becanus, Gretser, &c, are false which say that canon was sur- reptitiously brought into the council JEtius, Act. 16. openly professed the contrary, and all the bishops gave their consent to the last. This is one of the four great councils which the Pa- pists themselves compare to the four Gospels ; and in it were six hundred and thirty fathers. That great council is against them, and on the Pro- testant side, in the very foundation of all our differences, whether the Roman privileges be of divine or human right? And though it be but the privileges, and not the now claimed vicarship that was in question, yet the conclusion is the stronger against them, because the lesser was denied. But their last shift is, that this clause or canon was not approved, and so is null. Mark then ; we have general councils against you ; but we want the pope's approbation. Was that the meaning of your question, what council ? that is what pope condemned our church? Can it be expected that a man should con- demn himself? or, can you be no heretic till then ? Did not your pope aprove of that council, when Gregory I. likened it with the other three to the four Gospels ? and said " I embrace it with my whole de- votion : I keep it with most entire approbation." Greg. 1. Regist. I. 1. Ejpist. 24. Decrees, Dist. 15. c. 2. This is expressly a full approbation, not without excepting any part only, but excluding all such exceptions. The like approbation of Gelasius in the Roman council, is cited there also in the decrees. It is no hard matter to prove you condemned by your JUGGLING. 243 own popes. If you could but understand the plainest words, there needed no talk to persuade you that Pope Gregory I. condemned the title of universal bishop or patriarch : professing earnestly that he was the fore- runner of antichrist that would usurp it. But the plain truth is, as sad experience teacheth us, no words of fathers, popes or councils, much less of Scripture, are intelligible to you. But we may truly say of you, that lay all on the will of the pope, as Lodovicus Vives freely speaketh, Schol. in August, lib. 20. de Civit. Dei, cap. 26 ; " Those are taken by them for edicts and councils, which make for them, or are on their side ; the rest they no more regard than a meeting of women in a work-house or a washing place." Do you under- stand this language of one too honest to have much company? You have a third question ; " By what authority- was she otherwise reproved?" By the authority of that precept, Levit 19. 17. By the same authority that Paul reproved Peter, Galatians 2, and withstood him to the face. By such authority as any man may quench a fire in his neighbor's house: or pull a man out of the water that is drowning : or as any one pastor may reprove another when he sinneth. By the same authority as Irenasus rebuked Victor, and the Asian bishops withstood him ; and as Cyprian and the coun- cil of Carthage reproved Stephen ; and the rest afore- cited did what they did. By as good authority as the church of Rome condemneth the Greek church, doth the Greek church and many others condemn the priests of Rome. The next case is about the Roman schism. To question whether Papists be schismatics, is to question whether Ethiopians be black. Do you not at this day divide from all the Christian world, save yourselves? do you not unchurch all the Christians on earth. O dreadful presumption I when Christ is so tender of his interest and his servants, and is bound, as it were, by so many promises to save them and not forsake them. 11 You ask, what church you left/ and when was it t and whose company t " Senseless questions ! By a church, if you mean the universal church there is but cue in 244 jesuit all; and therefore one universal church cannot forsake another : but when part of it forsaketh the other part, and arrogateth the title of the whole to themselves, do you doubt whether that be schism ? If you mean a par- ticular church : how can Spain, Italy, France, and many more kingdoms, go out of a particular church, that contain so many hundred particular churches in them? No more than London can go out of Paul's church. The catholic is but one, containing ail true Christians on earth: and you have been guilty of a most horrid schism. You have set up a church in the church; universal church in the universal church ; a new form destructive to the old. Your pope as Christ's representative, is now an essential part of it, and no man is a member of it, that is not a member of the pope's body, and subject to him. So that even the an- tipodes, and the poor Abassines, that know not whether the pope be fish or flesh, or never heard of such a name or thing, must all be unchristened, unchurched and damned, if you be judges. Bellarmin tells us, which indeed your church constitution doth infer, that all that are duly baptized, are interpretatively or implicitly baptized into the pope. As you have devised a new catholic church, so you hereby cast off and disown all the Christians of the world that be not of your party, determining that none of them can be saved : who yet had rather venture on your curse and censure than into your heresy and schism. You fix yourselves in this schism, and put us who unfeignedly long for peace, out of all hope of ever hav- ing peace with you ; because you will hearken to it on no terms, but that all men become subjects to your usurping representative-Christ : which we dare as soon leap into the fire as do. Do you know now where the church or body was that you forsook ? It was all over the world where ever there was any Christians. Were it not a great schism, think you, if a few Jes- uits should say, we are the whole church, and all oth- ers are heretics or schismatics ? Or was it not a great schism of the Donatists to arrogate that title to them- selves, and unchurch so many others ? and what church JUGGLING. 24S did they forsake ? Augustin tells them over and over, what the catholic church was that they withdrew from ; even all true Christians dispersed over the earth : or that church which began at Jerusalem, and thence dif- fused itself through the world. But he never blames them for separating from the universal Roman head or vicar. But from the conspicuous combination of par* ticular churches, Optatus and he do blame them for withdrawing. What if John of Constantinople, in prosecution of his title of universal patriarch, had concluded as you, that none in the world are Christ's members. but his members, nor of the church but his subjects, had not this been a notorious schism 1 Tell us then what church he had forsaken. But your last caution doth condemn yourselves. Must that church that is true be visible from Christ's time 1 then Constantinople, nor most other, were never true churches, and Rome itself was never a true church Did you think that there was a church at Rome in Christ's time? you are not so ignorant. By this rule there should be no true church, but that at Jerusalem, and those in Judea. But suppose you had said, since the apostles' time, that also had excluded most churches on earth. But if you mean the universal church; it hath been visible ever since Christ's time : but not always in one place or country. Is not the greater part of Christians in the world, whom you schismatically unchurch, a visi- ble company ?- The Abassines and many churches out of the Roman empire did never so much as submit to your primacy of order, nor had you ever any thing to do with them, more than to own them as Christians; yet now are condemned by your arrogancy, because they will not begin, in the end of the world, to enter into a new church on which they nor their forefathers had ever any dependence. It was a shrewd answer of an old woman, that the emperor of Habassia's mother gave to Rodericus the Jesuit, pressing her to be subject to the Pope as Vicar of Christ, or else she could not be subject to Christ. u We are in the same belief as we were from the beginning: If it were not right whv did 2l # 246 jesuit no man in so many ages warn us of our error till now?" Mark here a double argument against the pope : one from apostolical tradition ; for Godignus himself saith, that no man doubts but Ethiopia received the faith from the beginning even from the Eunuch, The other is, that pope, who cannot in so many ages look after his flock, to send one man to tell them that they erred till about one thousand five hundred years after Christ, was never intended by Christ to be the universal governor of the world. Will Christ set any on an impossible work ? or make it so necessary to people to obey one that they never so much as hear from ? But what said the Jesuit to the old woman \ he told her ; "The Pope of Rome who is the pastor of the whole church of Christ, was not able in the years past to send doctors into Hab- assia, because the Mohammedans compassed all, and left . not any passage to them. But now the seas are open, he can do that which he could not do before. ' r Liter. Gonzal. Roder. in Godign. de Reb. Abass. lib. 2. cap. 18. As if Christ had set either the pope or the Abas- sines an impossible task; and appointed a governor that for so many hundred years could not govern : or the people must be so many hundred years no Christians, though they believed ill Christ, till the pope could send to them 1 and how should those and all such countries send prelates to a general council ? Canus Loc. Theol. saith of the Jesuits ; so say I of your new church ; " You are called to the society of Jesus Christ, which society being undoubtedly the church of Christ, let them see to it, that arrogate this title to themselves, whether they do not imitate heretics by a lying affirmation that the church is only with them.' T Lib. 4. c. 2. But we do not hence conclude that all that have lived and died in your profession, have been no members of the church, because your church is guilty of heresy, and notoriously of schism. Millions that live among you consent not to your usurpations ; and do not so much as understand your errors. Some hold them but no- tionally as ineffectual opinions. Every one is not a heretic that holdeth a point that is judged heretical, and which is heresy in another, that holdeth it in another JUGGLING. 247 sort. And there are errors called heresies by mast, which are not destructive to the essentials of Chris- tianity, but only to some integral part* There is a schism that doth not unchurch men, as well as a schism that doth. But your own writers put you hard to it T who conclude, as Bellarmin and many more do, that heretics and schismatics are no members of the church. Melch. Canus hoc. Theol. lib. 4. cap. 2. saith ; " That heretics are no part of the church, is the common con- clusion of all divines; not only of those that have writ- ten of late, but of them also that by their antiquity are esteemed the most noble : this is attested by Cyprian Augustin, Gregory, the two councils of Lateran and Florence. Rightly therefore did Pope Nicholas define that the church is a collection of catholics. " If this be true, it is an article of faith: and then Alphonsus a Castro, and all of his mind are heretics and lost men. Two ap- proved general councils have determined that a heretic is no member of the chnrch : but multitudes of yew own writers, and Pope Adrian, and many more of your popes have judged that a pope may be a heretic : and consequently no member of the church. What is be- come of your church, when an essential part of it is no part of the church ? Your common shift, which Canus and others fly to, is, that "he must be a judged heretic before he is dismem- bered." But that is for manifestation to men ; before God he is the same, if men never judge him. Where the case is notorious, the offender is cut off. Then it is in the pope's power, to let whole millions of heretics to be still parts of the church : and so the world shall be Christians or no Christians as he please. And why may he not let Turks and infidels on the same grounds be part of the church] for he may forbear to judge them, if that will serve. Then all the Christians in the world that the pope hath not yet judged and cast out, are members of the church. Millions thus are of the church that never were subjects of the pope. If you say it is enough that there is a general condemnation,, of all that are guilty as they are; then it is enough to cut off a pope, that there was a general condemnation against Mich as lie is. 248 jesuit Two or three councils and three popes did all judge Pope Honorius guilty of heresy, and consequently both popes and general councils have judged that a pope may be an heretic : therefore you have been judged hereti- cal in your head, which is an essential part of your church. Thus I have shewed what is the Romish schism, which being but a part, hath attempted to cut off all the rest, and so hath made a new pretended catholic church. As a part of the old church which con- sisted of all Christians united in Christ, we confess, all those still to be a part, that destroy not this Christianity, but as you are new gathered to a Christ-representative, or vicar general, we deny you to be any church of Christ. If you be church members, or saved, it must be as Chris- tians ; but never as Papists : for a Papist may be a Christian, but not as a Papist. If you cannot see the church that you separate from, open your eyes and look into much of Europe, and all over Asia, where are any Christians: look into Armenia, Palestine, Egypt, Ethiopia, and many other countries, and you shall find that you are but a smaller part of the church. Antony Marinarius in the council of Trent complained ; " That the church is shut up in the corners of Europe, and yet domestic enemies arise, that waste this portion shut up in a corner. M Sonnius of Antwerp, Demonstrate Relig. Christian, lib. 2. Tract. 5. c. 3, saith ; " I pray you what room hath the catholic church now in the habitable world ? scarce three ells long in comparison of that vastness which the Satanical church doth possess." If yet you boast that you have the same seat that formerly you had: I answer ; so have the bishops of Constantinople, Alexandria, and others whom you con- demn. Gregory Nazianz. Orat. cle laud. Athanasii, says ; u It is a succession of godliness that is properly to be esteemed a succession. For he that professeth the same doctrine of faith, is also partaker of the same throne : but he that embraceth the contrary belief, ought to be judged an adversary though he be in the throne. This indeed hath the name of succession ; but the other hath the thing itself, and the truth. For JUGGLING. 249 he that breaketh in by force, as abundance of popes did, is not to be esteemed a successor; but rather he that suffereth force : nor he that breaketh the laws ; but he that is chosen in manner agreeable to the laws : nor he that holdeth contrary tenets ; but he that is endued with the same faith. Unless any man call him a successor, as we say a sickness succeedeth health, or darkness succeeded! light, and a storm succeds a calm, or mad- ness or distraction succeedeth prudence. " To which may be added another Papist decision; 81 Because many princes and chief priests or popes and other inferiors, have been found to apostatize, the church consisteth in those persons in whom is the true knowl- edge and confession of faith and verity." Lyra Gloss. Matthew 16. CHAPTER XXVII. Succession of doctrines. Another of their deceits is this : To charge us with introducing new articles of faith or points of religion, because we contradict the new articles ivhich they in- troduce, and then they require us to prove our doctrines which are but the negatives of theirs. We receive no doctrine of faith or worship but what was delivered by the apostles to the church. Those men bring in abundance of new ones, and say without proof, that they received them from the apostles. And because we refuse to receive their novelties, they call our rejections of them, the doctrines of our religion ; and feign us to be the innovators. By this device, it is in the power of any heretic to force the church to take up new points of faith. If a Papist shall say, that besides the Lord's prayer, Christ gave his disciples another form, or two, or three, or many ; or that he gave 4 them ten new commandments not mentioned in the Bible ; or that he oft descended after his ascension, and conversed with them ; or that Christ instituted twenty sacraments, how should we deal with those men, but by denying theii 250 JESUIT fictions as sinful novelty, and rejecting them as corrupt additions to the faith? and were this any novelty in us? and should they bid us prove in the express words of Scripture or antiquity, our negative propositions, that Christ gave but one form of prayer, that he did not oft descend, that he gave no more decalogues, sacraments, &c. ? Is it not a sufficient proof of any of these, that they are not written ; and that no tradition of them from the apostles is proved ; and that they who hold the affirmative, and introduce the novelty, must prove, and not we t Our articles of faith are the same, and not increased, nor any new ones added : but the Papists come in with a new faith, as large as all the novelties in the decretals and the councils : and those innovations of theirs we reject. Now our rejections do not increase the articles of our faith, no more than my beating a dog out of my house, or keeping out an enemy, or sweeping out the filth, doih enlarge my house or increase my fam- ily. They do not take all the ana; md ejections in their own councils, to be canons or articles of faith. The pope hath made it an article of faith, " no Scrip- ture is to be interpreted but according to the unanimous consent of the fathers. " This we reject and make it no article of our faith, but an erroneous novelty. Do we hereby make a new article, because we reject anew one of theirs ? part of the oath made by Pope Pius after the council of Trent, If this be an article, prove it. If it be a truth and no novelty, which be fathers, and which not \ help us to know certainly, when we have all or the unan- imous consent. Then tell us, whether every man is not forsworn with you, that interprets any text of Scripture before he have read all the fathers; or any text which they do not unanimously agree on? We can easily prove to you, that this is a new article of your devising. Because else no man must expound any Scripture at all before those fathers were born. For how could the church before them have their unanimons consent ] oth- erwise those fathers themselves wanted an article of faith ; unless it was an article to them, that they must expound no Scripture but by their own consent. Few of those fathers expound the twentieth part of the Scrip- ture, They took liberty to disagree among themselves. JUGGLING. 251 and therefore do not unanimously consent in abundance of particular texts. They tell us that they are fallible, and bid us not take it on their trust. The apostles have left us no such rule or precept, but much to the contrary. Your own doctors, for all their oath, charge the fathers with error and misexpounding Scripture. Canus and many others charge Cajetan, a cardinal and pillar in your church, with making it his practice to differ from the fathers, and choosing expositions purposely for the novelty ; as his custom. And when he hath highly ex- tolled Cajetan, Loc. Theol. lib. 7. he adds ; " yet his doctrine was defiled with a leprosy of errors, by an af- fection and lust of curiosity, or confidence in his wit, expounding Scripture as he list ; more acutely than happily : because he regarded not ancient tradition, and was not versed in the reading of the fathers, and would not learn from them the mysteries of the sealed book." He also blames him, that he always followed the Hebrew and Greek text. Many Papists are blamed for the same faults. Andradius, and others plead for it. Yet those men are counted members of your church, that go against an article of your new faith and oath. Transubstantiation is one of your new articles in that oath. Do we make a new one now if we reject it ? Or need we be put to prove the negative ? Albertinus hath done it unanswerably. Another of your articles is, that " it belongeth to your holy mother the church to judge of the true sense of Scripture. " You mean the Roman church ; and that they must judge of it for all the Christian world. Prove this to be the ancient doctrine if you can. If we reject this novelty, are we innovators? or need we prove the negative? yet we can do it. Did Athanasius, Basil, Nazianzen, Nyssen, Augustin, Jerom, Chrysostom, Ep- iphanius, and the rest of the fathers, send to Home for the sense of the Scriptures which they expound; or did they procure the pope's approbation before any of them published their commentaries ? The like may be said of all the rest of your new ar- ticles, and practices. Some of your novelties we reject as trifles, some as smaller errors, and some as greater : but still we keep to our ancient faith, of which 252 Jesuit the Scripture is a full and sufficient rule, as Vinttr Lirinensis saith. though we are glad of all helps to un- hand it. We say with Tertullim de came Chr cap. 6. A ' Nothing depends upon it, because Scripture * not exhibit it. — They prove it not, because it is not written. — Tl H tirho thus are 1 -; ( 11APT E R XXVIII. Popish leant of Charity. Another of their dec id- I ■_-. of our charitable judgment of t\ern. and of their uncharitable jmdgmu ' ~ i and all other Chris- tian ^ht and intice people to their sect. They be saved, nor any that are not of the Roman church: but we siiy, that a Papist may be T y say. thai ire v. ant abundance of the arti- Erith that are i ::y to salvation. We say. that the Papists hold all that is necessary to salvation. Luther saith. that the kernel of true faith is yet in the church of Rome : therefore - . let Protestant* take the shell. Hence they make the simple people believe, that even according to our own confessions, their church and way is safer than Vergerius Optra, p ^ 2 i; u Thai great good the truth doth not Bow from the Papacy, but from the true chur ted ::y Rome." 1. The Papists' de: faith and salvation of all other Christians doth not invalidate our faith, nor shake our salvation. Our religion doth not cease to be true. ever a peevish adversary will deny or accuse it. are in never the more danger of damnation, be- cause a Papist tells them that they shall be damned. We believe not that the pope hath the power of the keys of heaven, that he can keep out whom he please. We have a promise of salvation from Christ, and we can bear the threatening of a pope. When Bellarmin judged Pope Sixtus damned himself, it is strange that he should have a power before to dispose of heaven to others, and JUGGLING. 253 shut out whom he pleased, that must be shut out him- self. The Novatians, Donatists, or any sect, that held the substance of the Christian faith, might have pleaded this argument as well as the Papists. For they also have the courage to pass the sentence of damnation upon others, if that will serve turn : and we have the charity to say, that some of them may be saved. 2. If by the Papists' own confession, charity be the life of all the graces or holy qualities of the soul, and that which above all others proveth a man to be justified, and in a state of salvation, then judge by this argument of their own, whether our charitableness or their unchar- itableness be the better sign, and whether it be safer to join with the charitable or the uncharitable? yea with them that are so notoriously uncharitable, as to condemn the far greatest part of the church of Christ merely be- cause they are nGt Papists 1 3. When we say, that a Papist may be saved, it is with all these limitations : that a Papist as a Christian may be saved, but not as a Papist. As a man that hath the plague may live ; but not by the plague ; that Popery is a great enemy and hindrance to men's salva- tion ; and therefore that those among them that are saved, must be saved from Popery and not by it ; that therefore salvation is a rarer thing among the Papists, than among the reformed catholics. Where it is most difficult, it is like to be most rare. Many more of the orthodox are likely to be saved tha'n of the Papists ; be- cause where Popery prevaileth against Christianity, and so much mastereth the heart and life, that the Christian doctrine is not practically received, there is no salvation to be had for such, without conversion. Thus is it that we say a Papist may be saved. Hunnius wrote a book to prove them no Christians, and Perkins hath written another to prove, that a Papist cannot go beyond a rep- robate. I must needs say so too, of all those in whom Popery is predominant practically, and overcometh Christianity, But yet I doubt not, but God hath thous- ands among them that shall be saved : of the common people that are forced to forbear contradicting the priests, and that understand not, or receive not all the mysteries of their deceit : and practically give themselves to a 22 254 Jesuit holy life. Though I have known none such, yet when I read the writings of Gerson, Kempis, Thauler, Ferus, Barbanson, Benedictus, Anglus, Renty, and such others; though I see much of error, and mere affectation; yet I am easily persuaded to believe, that they had the Spirit of God, and that there are many more such among them. But I should be sorry if holiness were not much more common among us, and freer from the mixtures of error and affectation. 4. For our saying, that they have the kernel, and so much as is necessary to salvation, it is true, but it is the same kernel that we hold, and we have it undefiled and unpoisoned ; and the Papists mix it with the venom of their errors. He that hath all things in his meat and drink that I have in mine, may yet make it worse than mine, if he will put poison in it. When you have all tilings necessary in a precious antidote or other medicine, you may soon mar all, by putting in more as the Pa- pists do. Christianity is enough to save them that mar it not, but keep it practically and predominantly. Even as a man that takes poison, and he that taketh none, are both of them men; and he that takes the poison may be said to have all the same parts and members as the other, and yet not be so likely to live, as he that lets it alone : and I cannot say but many that take it may recover : and if yon ask me ; which be thev ? I saw all those that timely cast it up again, or else whose strength of nature prevaileth against it and keepeth it from mastering the heart or vital powers, shall be recovered and live ; but those in whom the poison prevaileth and is predominant, shall die. So all those Papists that receive the errors of Popery, as either to cast them up again ; or that they are not predominant to the subduing of the power of Christian faith and holiness, by keeping them from be- ing sincere, and practical, and predominant, those shall be saved but not the rest. Now if upon those grounds, any man shall think that Popery is the safer way, because we say, that they have all that is necessary to salvation, objectively in their creed, and that a Papist may be saved ; upon the same terms that man may be persuaded that it is safer taking JUGGLING. 255 poison, because that he hath all the parts of a man that takes it, and possibly nature may prevail, and he may live. But yet I shall let the poison alone. 5. Papists that say, that a Protestant cannot be saved, do yet maintain that an infidel may be saved, or one that believeth not the articles of the Christian faith* You will think this strange. But I insist on the proof of it, to the uses, that you may see, that their censures proceed from mere design or partiality; that they make believing in the pope to be more necessary than believ- ing in Christ, or in the Holy Ghost; how holy their church is that admitteth of infidels ; — on what grounds they deny, that we may be one catholic church with the fathers, Greeks, Egyptians, Abassines, Armenians, Wal- denses, &,c. because of some differences ; when yet they themselves can be one church with infidels, or such as deny the articles of the creed, or at least believe them not ; and how well their religion hangs together, and also how well they are agreed among themselves, even abont the essentials of Christianity itself, whether they be of necessity to salvation or not. Franc, a Sancta Clara in his Deus, Natura, Gra- tia, Problem, 15, et 16, tells us ; " The doctors com- monly teach, that a just and probable ignorance ought to excuse : and that, it is probable, when one hath a prob- able foundation or ground. As a countryman, when he believes that a thing is lawful, drawn by the testimony of his parish priest or parents: or when a man seeing rea- sons that are probable on both sides, doth choose those which seem to him the more probable ; which yet indeed are against the truth, to which he is otherwise well af- fected. In this case he erreth without fault, though he err against the truth, and so labor of the contrary igno- rance. Hither is it to be reduced, when the articles of faith are not propounded in a due manner ; as by fri- volous reasons, or by impious men : for then to believe, were an act of imprudence, saith Aquinas L. 2. q. L ar. 4." So that if the truth of Scripture be so propounded as to seem most improbable, it is no sin to disbelieve it : and if such are excused* as by a parent or parish priest are seduced, and that have not a due proposal of the 256 jesuit truth ; then it must follow, that the heathens and infidels are innocent, that never had Christ proposed any way to them, and by their parents have been taught Mo- hammedanism, or Paganism. But I can prove, that even the want of a due proposal is a punishment for their sin ? and that they ought themselves to seek after the truth ? and that it is of their own sins that necessary truths do seem improbable to them? will sin excuse sin? He also telleth us; "As to the ignorance of things ne- cessary as means to salvation, the doctors differ: for Soto 4. d. 5. q. 5 ; and lib. de natur. et grat. c. 12 ; and Vega 1. 6. c. 20. will have no more explicit faith required now in the law of grace, than in the law of nature. Vega and Gabriel d. 21. qu. 2. art. 3. and 3. d. 21. qu. 2. think ; that in the law of nature, and in many cases, in the law of grace, a man may be saved with only natural know- ledge, and that the habit of faith is not required. Hor- antius, being of the contrary opinion, saith, that they are men of great name that are against him, whose gravity and great and painful studies moved him, not to condemn them of heresy, in a doubtful matter not yet judged." O happy Rome that hath a judge that can put an end to all their controversies ! And yet cannot determine whether it be necessary to salvation to be a Christian ? Alvarez de Auxil. disp. 56, with others, seems to hold, that to justification is not required the knowledge of a supernatural object at all. Others say that both to grace and to glory an explicit faith in Christ is necessa- ry, Bonavent. 3. d. 25. Others say that to salvation at least an explicit faith in the Gospel, or Christ is requir- ed, though not to grace or justification. And this is the commoner in the schools, as Herera declared and folio we th it. Clara saith; I take Scotus to be of that opinion, that it is not necessary as a means to grace or glory to have an explicit belief of Christ or the Gospel; as he seems at large to prove. Lib. 4. Dist. 3. Quest. 4. What is clearer, than that at this day, the Gospel bindeth not* where it is not authentically preached ; that is, that at this day men may be saved without an ex- plicit belief of Christ : for in that sense speaks the doc- tor concerning the Jews. And verily, whatever Scotus JUGGLING. 237 hold with his wicked master Herera, I think that this was the opinion of Scotus, and the common one; which also Yega a faithful Scotist followeth ; and Faber 4. d. 3, Petigianis 3. d. 25. q. 1, and of the Thomists, Bannes. 22. q. 2. a 8. Canus and others. He also gathers it to be the mind of the council of Trent, Ses. 6, cap. 4. It is effectually proved by the doctor, from John xv. If I had not come and spoke to them, they had not had sin. I know the doctors of the contrary opinion answer, that such are not condemned for the sin of infidelity precisely, but for other sins that hinder the illumination and special help of God. But verily the doctor there argueth, that the Jews might by circumcision be cleansed from original sin, and saved without the Gospel: and accordingly he may argue, as to all others to whom the Gospel is not authentically promulgated : else his reason would not hold* Corduba L 2. qu. Theol. q. 5, subscribes to this opinion, saying — since the promulgation of the Gospel, an explicit belief of Christ is ncessary : except with the invincibly ignorant, to whom an implicit sufflceth to the life of grace : but whether it suffice to the life of glory, is a pro- blem ; but it is more probable that here also an implicit sumceth. To which opinion consent both Medina dc recta in Deum Jide, lib. 4. cap. ult. and Bradwardin fol. 62, that an implicit belief of Christ is sufficient to salvation. Clara also saith ; " this is the way to end the debates of them that think the articles of the trinity, of Christ, of the incarnation,