Rome tyrannical, idolatrous and heretical the origine of her errors with an answer to her objections : also three short sermons of repentance against swearing and drunkenness preached to the ships company before Admiral Aylmer and several captains / by Peter Berault.

Rome tyrannical, idolatrous and heretical the origine of her errors with an answer to her objections : also three short sermons of repentance against swearing and drunkenness preached to the ships company before Admiral Aylmer and several captains / by Peter Berault.

Table of contents

Title page

TO His Excellency The Right Honourable John L. Summers Lord Baron of Evesham, High Chancellor of England, one of the Lords of His Majesty's most Honourable Privy Council, and one of the Lords Justices of England, during the Absence of His Majesty.

A MON SEIGNEUR SUMMERS CHANCELIER D'ANGLETERRE. EPIGRAMME.

ROME, Tyrannous, Idolater, and Heretick.

First Sermon of Repentance.

Second Sermon against Swearing.

Third Sermon against Drunkeness.

§

§

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ROME TYRANNICAL, Idolatrous, and Heretical.

The Origine of Her Errors, WITH An Answer to Her Objections.

Also, Three short Sermons of Repentance, against Swearing and Drunkenness, Preached to the Ships Company before Admiral Aylmer, and several Captains.

By Peter Berault.

Chaplain in His Majesty's Ships the Kent and Victory, in the Late War.

Gal. 3. 1. O Foolish! who has bewitched you, that ye should not obey the Truth?

London, Printed by W. Redmayne for the Author, 1698.

TO His Excellency The Right Honourable John L. Summers
Lord Baron of Evesham, High Chancellor of England, one of the Lords of His Majesty's most Honourable Privy Council, and one of the Lords Justices of England, during the Absence of His Majesty.

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May it Please your Excellency,

ROME, who in former Ages was both Holy and Orthodox, [...]s now corrupted not only in [Page] Her Manners, but also in Her Doctrine. Yet She is so Confident, as to accuse of Impiety and Heresie all the Protestant Churches of England, Holland, Germany, and other Countries; and peremptorily affirm, unless they be of Her Communion, they must never expect to be sav'd. And so I may say without any passion, that She is like those Lewd and Naughty Women, who quarrelling with those, that are Honest, do immediately call them infamous and opprobrious Names, lest the same should be justly retorted upon Themselves. I do not here intend to speak of the Vices of the [Page] Church of Rome, since most of 'em, to our Shame, are too frequently found amongst us; I will only make mention of Her Tyrannies, Idolatries and Heresies, which, thanks be to God, are not yet seen in Reformed Churches, and were the true Reasons, why I left my Native Country, and came hither to live and end my days.

I know a different Construction will be made by the Papists, as also by some Protestants; for, as St. Paul, being newly converted to the Christian Religion, was not only hated by the Jews, some of them making an Oath, they would neither, eat nor [Page] drink, till they had kill'd him; but even was suspected by the Apostles themselves, who were for some time afraid to converse with him. So when a Man leaves the Errors of the Church of Rome, and embraces the Truths of the Protestant Religion, then all the Zealots of his former Opinion do presently Anathematize him; and those, who were his most intimate Friends, become his greatest Enemies. And that, which most aggravates his Trouble, is, that the Protestants, amongst whom he came to secure himself, do commonly doubt of the Sincerity of his Conversion, and are very shy [Page] of putting Confidence in him.

He that has powerful Enemies, stands in need of a mighty Protection; and this is the reason, My Lord, why I do here, under God, implore yours; which I do not in the least question, since you are an Enemy to the Romish Errors, and have a great Love for the Truth of the Reformed Religion, and no less Tenderness and Affection for them, that couragiously defend it.

The Three Sermons, I have lately presented to your Excellency, were so kindly receiv'd, that I thought, I was obliged upon the first opportunity to make some acknowledgment [Page] to your Excellency by dedicating this small Treatise. I should not offer you a Present of so little value, had I not this to encourage me, that it is not the Gift, but the Intention in giving, which finds acceptance with Great and Generous Minds.

I do not here intend to attempt an enumeration of all your excellent Qualities. I will only say, that every one admires your solid Judgment, extraordinary Prudence, and wise Conduct in the high Places you are in, as well as in all the Affairs you undertake, either Publick or Private; that England doth find [Page] in you both Equity and Integrity in the Administration of Justice; and that our very Prudent, and most Generous King William, having chosen you amongst so many Learned Lawyers to be Chancellor of England, one of the Lords of his most Honourable Privy-Council; and one of the Lords Justices of England, during his Absence, is a certain Proof of your Merits, and the best Commendation of your eminent Virtues.

These Virtues, My Lord, will render your Name Immortal to Posterity, and will leave a lively Idea of your Renown, which will serve to influence your Example to all [Page] succeeding Ages. I abhor Flattery, but I love Justice; and in all that I have said here to your Excellency, every body is obliged to declare, or with Silence give their Consent, that I only give Honour to whom Honour is due.

I ask your Excellency's Pardon, for the Liberty I have taken. I pray God Almighty, that you may live long and healthful in the high Places, wherein you so worthily acquit yourself. I wish you every thing, that may contribute to make you intirely Happy in this World; and, when in the other you are call'd at the Judgment-Seat of our Lord Jesus Christ, you [Page] may hear these comfortable words; Come you Blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the Foundation of the World. It is, and shall be, as long as I live, the earnest Prayer of him, that is with Sincerity and Respect,

Your Excellency's Most Humble Most Obedient, and Most Affectionate Servant P. Berault.

A MON SEIGNEUR SUMMERS CHANCELIER D'ANGLETERRE.
EPIGRAMME.

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SAge, & Juste Summers, ta profonde Science,

Jointe à ta grande Probité

Demande que par Equité

Châcun par tout te rende Homage, & Reverence.

On dit que la Justice, & que la Verité

Ne sont plus icy sur la Terre;

Il est Faux; car dans l'Angleterre

Summers, par un beau Don de la Divinité,

Possede l'une & l'autre en leur Integrité.

P. Berault.

ROME, Tyrannous, Idolater, and Heretick.

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THE Church of Rome may be now compared to the Image of Nebuchadnezzar; for as his Head was of fine Gold, his Breast and Arms of Silver, his Belly and his Thighs of Brass, his Legs of Iron, and his Feet part of Iron and part of Clay: So, when we look upon the Ancient Church of Rome, She was then as pure as Gold. But when we come to the following Ages, we do find in her so notable a change; that we do now see in her an Iron-Age, and quite different from the former. I do not [Page] here intend to imitate several Authors; who even, when they compose but a small Book, are wont to make a long Preface. They build, as the Proverb saith, the Door bigger than the House. They do promise much, and perform but little. That I may not be guilty of the fault, which I do here impute to others, I immediatly enter into my Subject, and prove per Argumentum ad Hominem, that is, by the very Principles of the Church of Rome, that She is Tyrannous, Idolater, and Heretick.

1. I shew that She is Cruel and Tyrannous; for all those, that contrary to the Doctrine of Jesus Christ and Law of Nature, do persecute Men, and cause them to die, meerly because they are not of their Opinion and Religion, are Cruel and Tyrannous.

The Church of Rome, contrary to the Doctrine of Jesus Christ, and Law of Nature, does persecute [Page] Men, and cause them to die, meerly because they are not of her Opinion and Religion:

Therefore She is Cruel and Tyrannous.

The Major Proposition of this Argument is true; as for the Minor, which is in question, I prove it thus.

It is evident, that the Roman Church does persecute Men, and cause them to die, meerly, because they are not of her Opinion and Religion. The rigorous Laws of her Inquisition, whereby She did persecute an innumerable number of Men, and cause them to die, meerly, because they were not of Her Opinion and Religion, is a convincing proof of what I say. And that it is contrary to the Doctrine of Jesus Christ and Law of Nature to persecute Men, and cause them to die, because they are not of our Opinion and Religion, I shall endeavour to prove it evidently.

[Page] 1. I say that this Doctrine of the Roman Church, by Persecuting Men, and causing them to Die, meerly because they are not of her Opinion and Religion, is contrary to Christ's Doctrine. For Jesus Christ going to Worship at Hierusalem, the Samaritans, who were of another Religion, refusing to receive him in his Journey, two of his Disciples, James and John presently took Fire, and out of a well-meaning Zeal for their Master, and of the true God, and of Hierusalem the true place of Worship, asked leave to dispatch out of the way these Enemies of God and Christ, and the true Religion. And to this end they desired our Saviour to give them Power to call for Fire from Heaven to consume them. Jesus Christ seeing them in this heat, which seem'd to be well-meaning, did very calmly, but severely reprove this Temper of theirs; saying, The Son of Man is [Page]not come to destroy Mens lives, but to save them. Luke 9. 56. You own your selves to be my Disciples, but do you consider what Spirit now Acts and Governs you? Not that surely which I do teach you, which is not furious Persecuting and destructive Spirit, but mild, gentle, and aiming at nothing but to save Men's Lives, even of our greatest Enemies. This Spirit of Persecuting and Destroying one another about Religion, is contrary to the Intention, for which I came into the World. For I am not come to destroy Men's Lives, but to save them. Ye ought to love one another, even your greatest Enemies; and far from giving you leave to Persecute them, I forbid you to hate those who Persecute you. If I would destroy my Enemies, and the Hereticks that are not of my Religion, could I not do it by the Power which I have received from my Father; and could I [Page] not obtain of him a Legion of Angels to destroy them? But my Intention is not that Religion should be propagated in this cruel Method, but by Meekness and Perswasion. I will have Men to be drawn to the Profession of it by the Bonds of Love and Conviction. If any Man, saith he, will be my Disciple, if any Man will come after me. And when his Disciples were leaving him, he does not, as they do in Rome and Spain, set up an Inquisition to Torture and Punish them for their Defection from the Faith; only says, will ye also go away? And in imitation of this blessed Pattern the Christian Church continued to speak and act for several Ages. This was also the Language of the Holy Fathers and the Style of Councils; they said that the Christian Law doth not avenge it self by the Sword. Lex nova non se vindicat ultore gladio; and that we must not offer Violence to no Man, to compel him to [Page]Faith. Nemini ad credendum vim inferre. And Gregorius ad Episc. Constant, Writes thus. Nova & inaudita praedicatio quae verberibus exigit Fidem. This sort of Preaching is new and strange, which extorts Faith by Whips and Scourges. If Hereticks were to be Persecuted and Destroyed, the Samaritans, who were true Hereticks, and had affronted our Saviour himself, the Honour of God and of Religion, ought certainly to be punished. And to shew the contrary, Jesus Christ does severely rebuke his Disciples that had a great mind to destroy them, saying unto them, Ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of; and he gives them such a Reason, as ought in all Differences of Religion, how wide soever they be, to deter Men from this Temper; for, saith he, The Son of Man is not come to destroy Men's Lives, but to save them.

[Page] What can then the Church of Rome plead for her Persecution to Men for the cause of Religion, which James and John might not much better have pleaded for themselves against the Samaritans? Does she practice these Severities out of a Zeal for the Honour of God, of Christ, and the true Religion? Upon these very Accounts it was that James and John would have called for Fire from Heaven to have destroyed the Samaritans. Is she perswaded, that those whom she Persecutes are Hereticks, and that no Punishment can be too great for such Offenders? So James and John were perswaded of the Samaritans; and upon much better Grounds than those of the Church of Rome; for Jesus Christ does excuse them, saying, Ye know not what manner of Spirit ye are of. But in the Church of Rome, and especially in the Governing part of it; this Excuse cannot be brought for [Page] a good Plea; for the Christian Religion, which they do Profess, forbids them Persecution. And it is no more evident in the New Testament that Jesus Christ was born, died, and rose up for Sinners, than it is manifest that Christians ought not to Persecute one another for the Mis-belief of any Article of Revealed Religion; much less when these Articles are invented by Men, or are imposed as only Ceremonies.

I know that those that live in the Roman Church, are not all of this Opinion, that all Hereticks, or those that are not of their Opinion ought to be Persecuted and put to Death. I knew some of them in France, which were of a better and more Christian Principles; yet it is too true that this hellish Doctrine is taught and practised among them. Their several and frequent Conspiracies in England, their cruel and horrible Massacres in Ireland, [Page] [...] [Page] [...] [Page] France, and other Countries; as we may read in the History, their severe and damnable Inquisition in Italy and Spain; their rigorous Persecutions towards our poor Brethren of the Reformed Church in France, which was these several years, and is at present [...] extreme, that I should be to [...] long, if I would write it down in this Treatise; and the very words of the Council of La [...]n, are a certain Proof of what I say. If a Temporal Lord, saith this Council, be required and warned by the Church to Purge his Country from this foul Heresie, does neglect it, let him be Excommunicated by the Metropolitan Bishop; and from that time let him Denounce his Subjects, discharged of their Allegiance, and let him give his Country to be Possessed by the Catholicks. And in the next words, several Priviledges and great Indulgences are granted to all Men that [Page] shall endeavour to destroy the Hereticks.

2. I make it appear, that this Doctrine of Persecuting and Destroying those which are not of our Opinion and Religion, is contrary to the Law of Nature. For this is the Law of Nature, As ye would that Men should do unto you, so do you unto them. We would not be Persecuted and Destroyed for our Opinion and Religion; therefore we ought not to Persecute and Destroy others.

But some will object, we have a Law, and by this Law they ought to be Persecuted and Destroyed.

I Answer, if that were a sufficient Reason to warrant Persecution, we could not blame the Jews, when they Crucified Jesus Christ; for they said, They had a Law, and that by this Law he ought to die. And we could not blame Queen Mary, who by a Law in her days, caused so [Page] many to suffer Martyrdom; nor could we now blame the Papists, who by their Laws in France, Italy and Spain, establish Cruelty and Oppression, and as so many Nebuchadnezzars give Order, that all Persons that will not Worship their God of Bread, or refuse to bow before their Images, or will not believe what they believe, be Persecuted, Tortured, and put to Death by the most cruel Torments.

If any Man be found a Plotter, or breed Sedition and Disturbance in a Kingdom; if he contrive any Evil against the King or Government, he ought to be Punish'd according to the Law of this Kingdom. But if he only be found Erring concerning some Articles of Religion, he ought to be Taught and Admonish'd by the Bishop, and afterwards rejected from the Congregation, if he will not be perswaded. But he ought not to be cast into Prison, nor deprived of [Page] his Estate, nor sent to the Gallies, nor Condemned to Die. For this Cruelty, as I have already shewed, is not only contrary to the Doctrine of Jesus Christ, but to the Law of Nature also. And therefore it is evident, that the Church of Rome is Cruel and Tyrannous; since contrary to Christ's Doctrine and the Law of Nature, she Persecutes and puts Men to Death, meerly because they are not of her Opinion and Religion.

The Origine, or the Author of this hellish Doctrine was a Dominican Fryar, or rather the King Nebuchadnezzar; for as he that would not Worship his Image, was cast into a fiery Furnace, so those that will not Worship the God of Bread of the Papists, and bow to their Images, are Condemn'd to be burnt alive.

Secondly, I shew that the Roman Church is Idolater.

[Page] All those, that do Worship the Creature for the Creator, are Idolaters.

The Church of Rome does Worship the Creature for the Creator;

Therefore she is an Idolater.

The Major Proposition of this Argument is true, and is granted by all Divines. As for the Minor, which is in question, I prove it thus.

The Church of Rome does Worship a bit of Bread baked upon the Fire, and takes it for her God; therefore she does Worship the Creature for the Creator, therefore she is an Idolater.

That the Roman Church Worships a bit of Bread baked upon the Fire, and takes it for her God; this does clearly appear, since she believes that the Bread being Consecrated by her Priests, is really Transubstantiated, or changed into the true Body of Jesus Christ, and renders unto it the very same [Page] Adoration that we render to the Godhead. And that it is false that this Bread Consecrated by her Priests, be really changed into the true Body of Jesus Christ. I will make it evidently appear, because this Doctrine of theirs is contrary to the Holy Scripture, to Senses, to Reason, and to the Holy Fathers.

1. I say that it is contrary to the Holy Scripture, that the Bread Consecrated by her Priests, be really changed into the true Body of Jesus Christ, and consequently be here still upon Earth; for Jesus Christ being about to leave the World, and his Disciples afflicting themselves upon this account, he doth not comfort them by saying, I leave you my Body under the Species of Bread and Wine, but he tells them, The Poor ye have with you, but me ye have not always; I came forth from the Father, and am come into the World, again I leave the World and go to the Father. He [Page] tells them that his Father will Protect them, will send them his holy Spirit, and that he is going to prepare them a place in Heaven. He tells them of his intercession, and of his second coming to Judge both the quick and the dead, and that the Heavens must receive him until the time of the restitution of all things. John 12. 8, 16, 28. Acts 3. 21. and in the 24th Chapter of St. Mat. 26 Verse, it is written, that a time will come, when they shall say, Lo, here is Christ, or there, behold he is in the secret Chambers, and that we must not believe it.

By these words, it appears clearly, that it is contrary to the holy Scripture, that the Body of Jesus Christ be yet here upon Earth, and consequently, that the Bread Consecrated by the Priests, be really changed into his Body.

Object. Jesus Christ, saith the Roman Church, took Bread, and gave Thanks, and said, Take ye and [Page]eat, this is my body which is broken for you. Matth. 26. 1 Cor. 11. 24. Jesus Christ, saith the Roman Church, is true, he has said in giving the Bread, This is my Body; therefore this Bread ought to be changed into the true Body of Jesus Christ; therefore he is here still upon Earth. And to shew, she saith, that it is not the Figure of Jesus Christ, and these words, This is my Body, are not Metaphorical, because he said, which is broken for you. Now it is not the Figure of Jesus Christ, which was broken for us, but his true Body.

Answer, It is certain that Jesus Christ is true; and though he said, This is my Body which is broken for you, and that it was the true Body of Jesus Christ which was broken for us, and not the Figure; yet that doth not hinder these words from being Metaphorical; and to let you see it clearly, observe my Reason. This is my Body which [Page]was broken for you, (is) that is to say, signifieth or representeth. As you may see in several other Texts of the holy Scripture; as for Example in this. The Rock was Christ, where this word, (was) means, did signifie or represent. Which is broken for you; the Relative, (which) does not serve to shew the Transubstantiation; or that the Bread is changed into the true Body of Jesus Christ, because it is related to this Word (Body) and not to the Proposition▪ This is my Body. It has a relation to the Attribute, and not to the Subject. That which hinders not this Proposition from being Metaphorical, no more than this, the Rock was Christ. For if the Evangelist had added, which was Crucified, or which was raised again; as the Relative (which) would not hinder this Proposition from being Metaphorical; likewise these words, which was broken for you, hinder not the other Proposition from being Improper and Metaphorical.

[Page] Mark, that his Body was not broken before he Suffered upon Golgotha: How did he say then, which is broken, before it was broken? There is no sense of it but this. The Bread was broken, and signified that his Body should be broken. Now, as the breaking of the Bread did signifie the breaking of his Body, so the Bread must signifie his Body: And as his Body was not broken indeed, when the Bread was broken; so the Bread could not be his Body indeed, for then his Body should have been broken, when the Bread was broken.

If because Christ saith, This is my Body, this is my Blood, they will have these words to be expounded litterally; why then do they not expound the other words of Christ litterally also concerning the Cup? For the Text saith, that he took the Cup, and said, This is my Blood. I am sure that those of the Church of Rome will not say that the Cup was [Page] the Blood of Christ, as the words declare it to be, but that there is a Figure in these words, namely, Continens pro Contento; that by the Cup is meant the Wine in it. If then they will admit a Figure in this Proposition, why there may not be a Figure in the other; namely, Signatum pro Signo; that these words, This is my Body, should be understood thus, the Bread is a sign of my Body.

I may prove as well, that Christ is a Door, because he saith, I am the Door; and that he is a Vine, because he saith, I am a Vine; for his sayings are alike. But Figurative Speeches must not be construed litterally. Now, that they may see, that not we only say, 'tis Bread and Wine after Consecration, Jesus Christ himself doth call them so. I will drink no more, saith he, of the fruit of the Vine. Jesus Christ assures, that it was the fruit of the Vine which he drank; therefore [Page] Wine and not Blood was his drink; therefore after Consecration, Wine was still Wine. And St. Paul, 1 Cor. c. 11. does confirm it, when he plainly saith, that the Communicant doth eat Bread. Therefore the Bread remains Bread after the words of Consecration: For, if it were transubstantiated into the Body of Christ, then were there no Bread to eat; the Body of Christ should be the thing that should be eaten, and consequently should not be called Bread.

What I say may be seen by these words of Jesus Christ, wherein he assures us, That he was the bread of life which came down from Heauen, which if any man eat, he shall live for ever, John 6. 50. His Disciples hearing these words, murmured until he had expounded them. And how did he expound them? thus, He that comes unto me, has eaten; and he that believes in me has drunk. Afterwards, when He Instituted [Page] this Sacrament in like words, they murmured not, which they would as before, if he had not resolved them before, that, to eat his Body, and to drink his Blood, was nothing but to come to him, and believe in him. For, as it is plainly said, This is my Body, so it is plainly said, These words are Spirit, that is, they must be understood spiritually, and not litterally; so saith St. Austin, Believe, and thou hast eaten.

It was Christ's manner to speak by Similitudes, Figures, and Parables, shewing one thing by another. For example, Christ calls the Lamb the Passover, in place whereof this Sacrament succeeded. And yet the Passover was this, An Angel passed over the house of the Israelites, and struck the Aegyptians, Exodus 12. 27. This was not a Lamb, and yet because a Lamb was a sign of this Passover, as the Bread and Wine are of Christ's [Page] Body and Blood; because of that Christ called the Lamb the Passover, as he called the Bread and Wine his Body and Blood. This may be seen again in Circumcision, Baptism, and the Cup.

Circumcision is called the Covenant; and yet Circumcision was nothing but the cutting away of a Skin, and the Covenant is this; In Abraham's seed all nations shall be blessed; I will be their God, and they shall be my People; I will defend and save them, and they shall serve and worship me. This is not Circumcision, and yet as though the Circumcision were the Covenant it self, it is called the Covenant.

Likewise, Baptism is called Regeneration; and yet Baptism is a dipping our Bodies in Water, and Regeneration is the renewing of our mind to the Image of God, wherein it was Created. This is not Baptism, and yet, as though Baptism were Regeneration it self, it [Page] is so called, because it signifies Regeneration.

And the Cup is called the New Testament; and yet the Cup is but a piece of Metal, filled with Wine: And the New Testament is, He that believes in the Son of God shall be saved. This is not a Cup, and yet, as though the Cup were the New Testament it self, it is called the New Testament. So the Bread and Wine are called Christ's Body and Blood, because they signifie Christ's Body and Blood.

This Doctrine of ours may be confirmed, because every Sacrament was called by the thing which it signified; and yet never any Sacrament was taken for the thing it self. What reason have they then to take this Sacrament for the thing it self more than all the rest? It is the consent of all Divines, that a Sacrament is a Sign; therefore it is no more the thing signified, than [Page] the Bush at the Door is the Wine in the Cellar.

But what then, will the Papists say, is there nothing in this Sacrament but Bread and Wine? We do not say that this Sacrament is nothing but a bare Sign, or that we receive no more than what we see: For Christ saith, that it is his Body; and St. Paul assures, that it is the Communion of Christ Body and Blood. Therefore there is more in this Sacramental Bread than in the common Bread we Eat in our Houses; for though the nature of Bread be not changed, yet the use is changed. It doth not only serve the Body, as it did before, but also it serves for the nourishing of our Souls; for as sure as we receive Bread, so sure we receive Christ. And you may see this by this Similitude: You have an Obligation in your hand, and I ask you, what have you there? and you answer, I have here an [Page] hundred thousand Crowns. How! say I, I see nothing but Paper, Ink, and Wax! Oh, but by this, say you, I shall recover a hundred thousand Crowns, and that is as good.

So when ye receive these Signs in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, ye receive the Vertue of Christ's Body and Blood by Faith; and it is all one as if ye should eat his Body, and drink his Blood indeed.

Secondly, I say that it is contrary to Senses, that the Bread Consecrated by Popish Priests, be really changed into Christ's Body. For when the Church of Rome would oblige me to believe, that what my Senses behold, is not Bread and Wine, but the true Body and Blood of Christ, it is clear that it is contrary to them; for my Eyes see them to be Bread and Wine, I smell nothing but Bread and Wine; I taste nothing but [Page] Bread and Wine, and my Hands feel nothing but Bread and Wine.

Object. We confess, say they, that it is contrary to Senses, but Senses ought not to be Judges in the Mysteries of Faith.

I Answer. That Jesus Christ made use of the Senses, to prove to his Apostles, that he was not a Spirit, but a Body, when he said unto them, Handle me and see, for a spirit has not flesh and bones as ye see me have, Luke 24. 32. And if the Fathers disputing against the Marcionites and Euthicheens, the former of which believed that Jesus Christ had not a true Body, but only the appearance; and the latter, that the Substance of his Body was changed into the Godhead after his Resurrection, they made use of the very words of Jesus Christ. Handle me and see, for a spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have. I may after their Example, make use of my Senses in [Page] the Sacrament of the Eucharist, and say, to let the Church of Rome know, that what they believe to be the true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, is true Bread and Wine, Handle and see.

Object. The reason, say they, why Christ's Body is not seen in the Sacrament, is because he is there miraculously.

I Answer, That if the Bread be turned into the very Body of Christ by a Miracle, then should it appear visibly so. For the Nature of every Miracle is to be visibly to the outward Eyes and Senses. As when Jesus Christ turned Water into Wine, it was visibly Wine, when Moses Rod was turned into a Serpent, it was visibly a Serpent. And so if the Bread were turned into the very Body of Christ, it should be visibly a Body, if they will hold a Miracle in this Sacrament. But St. Austin answereth, that there is no Miracle in [Page] the Sacraments. Honorem, saith he, tanquam Religiosa possunt habere, stuporem tanquam mira non possunt, Tom. 1. 8. c. 12.

Thirdly, I say that this Doctrine is contrary to Reason. 1. Because it supposes the same Body in several places at one time. A Body may be considered objectively at one time in several places, but that it should be really or substantially in many places at one time altogether, as the Church of Rome would have, which teaches and obliges to believe that the Body of Jesus Christ is Substantially in Heaven and Earth, and in every place, where the Priest pleases to Consecrate, or pronounce these words, This is my Body, this is my Blood, and in every part of the Consecrated Bread; so that if you divide it into a thousand Parts no bigger than the Point of a Needle, he is there in every part wholly, that is contrary to Reason. For according [Page] to Reason, a Body of six Foot in Dimension, cannot occupy no more place than the Circumference of six Foot; and though it may be successively in several places, yet it cannot at the same time.

And these words of St. Peter, Acts 3. 22. Whom the Heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all things, Prove my saying evidently; for though he has a glorified Body, yet he retains the Nature and Property of a true Body still, which cannot be but in one place at once. And so saith St. Austin, in Joan. Tract. 3. Corpus Domini in quo resurrexit uno tantùm loco esse potest.

2. This Doctrine is contrary to Reason, because it makes Accidents exist without any Subject. It is the Nature of Accidents to be joyned to their Subject. As for Example, It is the nature of the whiteness of a Stone to be joyned to the Stone; so that if you destroy the Nature or Substance of this [Page] Stone, you must of necessity destroy its Whiteness, and other its Accidents. And according to the Opinion of Modern Philosophers, who say that Accidents are nothing else than Matter modified, that is to say, as it is disposed to this or that Fashion; it follows that Matter cannot be destroyed without its Accidents being destroyed likewise with it. It is the Opinion of Iraeneus, who saith, That we cannot consider Water without its Humidity, nor Fire without Heat, nor a Stone without Hardness; these things being so United, that the one cannot be without the other, but that they must exist together Nevertheless, those of the Church of Rome teach the contrary; for in their Mystery of Transubstantiation, they put Accidents without any Subject; they put Colour and Quantity without Matter, Smell and Taste without Substance, Hardness and Humidity without there being any thing [Page] that is hard and moist. I may then very well say and affirm, that this Doctrin is contrary to Reason.

Fourthly, I say that it is contrary to the Holy Fathers, for St. Chrysostome, Epist. ad Caesar, saith, That the mystical Symbols do not lose their proper Nature, but remain in their first Substance, as the Body of Christ has preserved the true Substance of a Body when it was Glorified. And Writing to the People of Antioch, Hom. 6. he saith, That God gives us things Spiritual under things Visible and Natural; and that Bread being Sanctified, is delivered from the Name of Bread, and [...] exalted to the Name of the Lord's Body, although the nature of the Bread still remains.

Origines in Matth. 15. speaks thus, The Bread that is Sanctified with the Word of God, as touching the material Substance thereof, goes into the Belly, and forth again like other Meats.

[Page] Justin Martyr, and Iraeneus Bishop of Lyon, say, That our Flesh is nourished with the Cup, which is the Blood of Christ, and is increased with the Bread, which is the Body of Christ. These words do destroy those of the Roman Church, who, because they believe that the Bread and Wine are changed into the Body and Blood of Christ, are forced to say, that our Body is not nourished with the Bread and Wine, but with their Accidents, or by some Substance that God Createth.

Tertullian, L. 4. Advers. Marci. c, 40. saith, that Jesus Christ took the Bread, and giving it to his Disciples, made it his Body, saying, this is my Body. That is to say, as Tertullian himself explains it, the Figure of my Body.

St. Austin, Cont. Adam. c. 12. is of that Opinion, The Lord, saith he, doubted not to say, this is my Body, when he gave but the Signs of his Body. And in Psal. 8. He saith, That [Page] the admirable Patience of Christ admitted Judas to the Banquet, wherein he delivered to his Disciples the Figure of his Body and Blood. And in the third Book of the Christian Doctrine, he speaks thus. When the Lord saith, if ye do not eat the Flesh of the Son of Man, and drink his Blood, you shall have no life in you. He seems to command a Wickedness and a great Crime; therefore it is a Figure, whereby it is injoyned unto us to think upon our Lord's Passion, and remember that his Flesh was Crucified and Wounded for us. He saith also in an Epist [...] to Boniface, That the Sacraments are called by the name of the things they represent.

The Sacrament then of the Lord's Supper, may be taken either conjunctively with what it represents, and in this Sense it is said to be the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ; or separately from the things which it signifies, and in this Sense [Page] it is the Type, the Symbole, or Figure of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ; and that is to be seen in the Affairs of the World; as when we say, that the Letters which are brought, wherein is contained the Pardon which the King gives to a Criminal, are the King's Pardon.

Theodoret, Dial. 2. saith, That the mystical Signs after Consecration do not depart from their Nature, but they abide still in their former Substance, Figure, and Form, and may be both seen and felt as before. And, Dial. 1. he saith, That Jesus Christ has honoured the visible Symbols with the Name of his Body and Blood, not in changing their Nature, but in adding Grace to it.

The Pope Gelasius, in lib. de duab. nat. advers. nest. & Eutich. saith, That the substance or nature of Bread doth not cease, and verily there is the Image and Similitude of the Body and Blood of Christ celebrated in the [Page] action of the Mysteries of the Body of Christ.

Baronius, An. 648. N. 15. and 869. N. 3. saith, That Theodorus, Bishop of Rome, for the Condemnation of Pyrrhus; and that the Council held at Constantinople for the Condemnation of Photius, took the Consecrated Cup, and poured Ink into it, and having dipp'd their Pens into these two mixt Liquors, they subscribed the depositions of these Men. If they had believ'd that the Consecrated Wine was the Blood of Jesus Christ, as now the Church of Rome believes, is it credible that they would have mixt Ink with it, and dipp'd their Pens with it? No, it is not to be believed; for the Church of Rome would not do so now, but would believe they should commit an horrible Sacrilege.

Moreover, if the holy Fathers had believed Transubstantiation, that is, the conversion of Bread [Page] and Wine into the true Body and Blood of Jesus Christ, they would not have failed to instruct us, that a Body is under a point; that it has Accidents without any Subject, and that it is after the manner of a Spirit. They would have taught us what nourishes our Bodies in receiving of this Sacrament, and from whence come the worms which are ingendred in the Bread. They would have told us what kind of action it is, which makes Christ Exist under the Species of Bread and Wine; whether it was a Reproduction, or Adduction, or Ubification. I say, they would have taught us all these things, since the Church of Rome gives now a particular instruction in it. Now, since they were as Learned as the present Doctors of the Church of Rome are at this time; and since they said nothing of it, it is a certain sign that this Doctrin was contrary to their Opinion.

[Page] And for the confirmation of what I say is, that when the Fathers disputed against Idolaters, they confuted them with these words, Why do you adore what your Hands have made, and which has neither Speech nor Motion, but is subject to Fire, and to Corruption, and to be stolen away by Thieves? This was the Argument they made use of to prove that they were Idolaters. If at that time they had believed Transubstantiation, the Idolaters would not have failed to retort their Argument; and since we find they have not retorted it, it is a certain sign that this Doctrin was contrary to the holy Fathers.

The Origine of Transubstantiation was a Dream of Paschasius, a Monk of Corbis; and Innocent the Third, in the Year of our Lord 1215. set it up amongst the Articles of Faith, in the Council of Latran. So many years were past [Page] before Transubstantiation was named. Then the Pope set it on foot, and so it came out from Rome; and for want of the holy Scripture, of Reason, and holy Fathers to maintain it, they have since defended, and do still defend it at this day with Sword and Fire.

It is then manifest, that the Bread Consecrated by the Popish Priests is not really changed into the Body of Jesus Christ; and therefore that the Church of Rome is Idolater; since in Worshiping a bit of Bread baked upon the Fire, in Praying to it, in carrying it in Procession, in shewing it to the People in their Mass, in offering Frankincense unto it, in bowing before it at the Ringing of a small Bell or Cymbal, as the People did before the Image of Nebuchadnezzar, and taking it for their God; She Worships the Creature for the Creator.

[Page] Object. We believe that what we do Worship is God, and that therefore hinders us from being Idolaters.

I Answer, If this Reason were good and sufficient, the Heathens, which did Worship Jupiter, had not been Idolaters; because they believed him to be the true God. And yet the Church of Rome maintains, that all those who did Worship Jupiter, were Idolaters. It is then true, that to Worship as a God, that which is not God, tho' it be taken for a God, is a gross and flat Idolatry; and therefore that the Church of Rome is Idolater, because she Worships for her God a bit of Bread, which is not God, although she believe, and take it for her God.

2dly, I say that she is Idolater, because she makes graven Images of the Godhead, and bows before them; and because she kneels down before those of Saints, prays to [Page] them, kisses and serves them, offers Frankincense unto them, Crowns them with Flowers, Cloaths them with Fine Garments, and Orders, as it may be seen in the II. Council of Nice; that they shall not only be placed in Churches, Chappels, and Oratories, where the Divine Majesty is Worshiped, but shall be also Honoured and Worshiped.

Which is directly contrary to these words of Samuel, Prepare your hearts to the Lord, and serve him only; and to those of Christ in St. Matthew, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve; as also to those of God, in the XX Chapter of Exodus, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven Image, nor any likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above, or that is in Earth beneath, or that is in the Waters under the Earth. Thou shalt not bow down thy self to them, nor serve them.

[Page] Objection, This forbidding, say they, is against Idols, and not against Images; and when we bow to them and serve them, we do not render them a Worship of [...], but of [...] only.

First, I Answer, That these words, Nor any likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above, &c. signifie the one and the other, I mean both Idols and Images. Secondly, I say, that besides this distinction of a Worship of [...] and [...] is new, and not found in the holy Scripture, the Roman Church, according to her own Confession, and the Doctrin of her Angelick Doctor Thomas Aquinas, Worships the Cross with a Worship of [...]. This Truth is especially seen upon Good Friday, at which time ye may see, that not only the Monks, Priests, Bishops, Cardinals, and the Pope himself bow and kneel down before it, and kiss it, all Singing, Ecce lignum Crucis venite [Page]adoremus; but that all the common People imitate them also, and even that Princes and Kings lay down before it their Crowns and Scepters. They confess also that they do Worship the Images of God the Father with a Worship of Latria, and likewise those of the Son and the Holy Ghost.

Objection, This Worship, say they, that they do render to the Cross and Images of the Godhead and Saints, is Relative; it is not related to the Cross and Images, but to God and Saints; and that is the reason, say they, why they are not Idolaters.

I Answer, That these words of Samuel, Prepare your hearts unto the Lord, and serve him only; and that those of Jesus Christ in St. Matthew, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve, do quite destroy all these distinctions of the Church of Rome concerning the Relative Worship of Latria and [Page] Dulia. For, that it is a flat Idolatry to Worship God in any Image, I evidently shew it by the Children of Israel, when they made the golden Calf to be a Representation of God, Exod. 32. For the Text shews that it was a flat Idolatry, for which many of them were Plagu'd and Punish'd. And yet their Worship was Relative; for their meaning was to Worship the true God in the Calf; for they were not so simple as to think or believe that that dead Idol or Image was God. The Idolatry then of the Church of Rome, by Worshiping the Cross, and the Images of the Godhead, and by bowing down before the Images of Saints, Martyrs, Apostles, and kissing them, and imploring their assistance, and offering Frankincense unto them, is as gross and wicked as theirs was.

The Origine of the Worshiping mages, proceeds from Irenea, Empress [Page] of Constantinople, about the year 790. She called a Council at Nice, wherein by Intreagues and Threatnings, she did so prevail, that it was concluded we ought to Worship Images, notwithstanding the Oppositions that were then made in all Parts. For the Emperor Carolus Magnus, did at the same time call a Council at Francfort, wherein that of Nice was Condemn'd, and the Decree of Worshiping Images made void. But because they remained still in Churches, this Superstition of Worshiping them, to which the Ignorant People was always inclin'd, got at last the uppermost.

It is then true, as I have clearly made it appear, that the Church of Rome is Idolater.

Thirdly, I shew that she is Heretick; for all those that are obstinate in their Errors, are Hereticks.

The Church of Rome is obstinate in her Errors; therefore she is Heretick.

[Page] The Major Proposition is true, and all Divines are of that Opinion. As for the Minor, which is in question, I prove it thus.

All those, that refuse to obey the Holy Scripture in several Points of Faith and Practice, are obstinate in their Errors.

The Roman Church refuses to obey the Holy Scripture in several Articles of Faith and Practice.

Therefore she is obstinate in her Errors.

The Major Proposition is true also, and it is the consent of all Divines. As for the Minor, behold as I prove it.

All those, that do add to the Holy Scripture, and diminish from it several Articles, both of Faith and Practice, refuse to obey the Holy Scripture; for Deut. 4. 2. It is commanded us neither to add to the Word of God, nor to diminish from it. And St. Paul, 1 Cor. 4. 6. Forbids to think above that which is Written.

[Page] But the Church of Rome adds to the Word of God, and diminishes from it several Articles both of Faith and Practice.

Therefore she refuses to obey the Word of God; therefore she is obstinate in her Errors; therefore she is Heretick.

That the Church of Rome does add to the Word of God, and diminish from it several Articles, both of Faith and Practice, is that I shall endeavour to shew evidently.

1. I say that she adds to the Word of God several Articles of Faith, which she obliges to believe under the Pain of Damnation. For though it be manifested in several places of the Holy Scripture, that Jesus Christ is our Saviour, Redeemer and Mediator; that there is no Salvation in any other, and that there is no other name under Heaven, whereby we must be saved, Acts 4. 12. That we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous, and that he is the Propitiation[Page]for our Sins, 1 John 2. 1. And that there is one God, and one Mediator between God and Men, the Man Christ Jesus, Tim. 2. 5. Nevertheless those of the Church of Rome call the blessed Virgin the She-Redeemer of the World, as it may be seen in Bellarmin. c. 4. of Indulgences. And in the Litanies and Hymns Composed in her Honour, they call her the Queen of Heaven, Mother of God, and their Hope, and give her such Titles as belong to God only. They implore the help of Saints, they put their Trust and Confidence in them, and take them for their Advocates and Mediators; as we may see in several Prayers, wherein they speak thus. O great Saint, in whom I put my Trust and Confidence, Pray for me miserable Sinner, &c. And though Jesus Christ, Teaching his Disciples how they ought to Pray, bid them to call upon his Father, and say, Our Father which art in Heaven. And although the Almighty spake thus [Page] by his Prophet, Isaiah 45. 21. There is no God else beside me, a Just God and a Saviour, there is none beside me. Yet those of the Church of Rome will have us to implore the help of Saints, to trust in them, and take them for our Advocates and Mediators; as it is declared in the Council of Trent. Sess. 25. It is then evident, that this Doctrine being not found in the Holy Scripture, they add to the Word of God, and think above that which is Written.

Object. We Pray, say they, and beg the Favour of the Saints, as we pray a Friend at Court to Request a Kindness from His Majesty; I Answer, they ought not to do so, for it is Written, We have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous. And we do not read that any other is our Advocate. If the King's Son should say, when ye will ask my Father any Favour, [Page] come ye unto me, and not unto another; if after this Declaration, some body should go unto another, he should be very Imprudent. Jesus Christ, Matth. 11. 28. Speaks thus, Come unto me all ye that labour, and are heavy laden; and I will give you rest. We must not have then another Advocate beside him. By him, saith St. Paul, we have an access to the Father, and we do not read that we have it also by the blessed Virgin, or by St. Peter, St. Anthony, or any other Saint.

St. Chrysostome, Hom. 2. de Cananea, speaking of this Woman, who, though she were a Sinner, was bold to come unto Christ, saith thus, Behold the Wisdom of this Woman, she doth not Pray to James, she doth not beseech John, she goes not to Peter, she looks not to the company of the Apostles, neither request any of them; but for all this she takes Repentance for her Companion, and goes to the very Fountain it self.

[Page] St. Ambrose, in Rom. c. 1. speaks thus, They are wont to use a pitiful Excuse, saying, that by the Saints they may have access unto God, as by the Earls there is Access to Kings; by Officers and Earls, Access is made to the King, because the King himself is a Man; but to come to God, from whom nothing is hid, there is no need of a Spokesman, but a devout Mind; for wheresoever such a one speaks to him, he will answer him.

The Souls of Men, say Tertullian and St. Austin, do not take care of the Affairs of the Living: The Saints are not our Mediators, we do praise the Martyrs, because they fought for the Truth, but we do not Worship them. For what end then are these Solemnities? That by them we may thank God for their Victories, and encourage others to imitate them, and be partakers of their Palms and Crowns. But, that we may obtain them, shall we implore the Assistance [Page] of the Saints? No, but we shall implore the help of that true God, who made them Martyrs. de cura pro mortuis, c. 13. & cont. Parm. l. 2. c. 8. de Civit. l. 8. c. 27.

Hereunto I may add that which is written in Ecclesiastes 9. 5. That the dead knew not any thing, neither have any more a portion for ever in any thing that is done under the Sun.

Wherefore I may say that the Church of Rome intreats in vain the help of the Saints; for God alone does know our Thoughts. And the most Learned Doctors of that Communion cannot say how they may hear the Prayers of Men; for they confess it is not a Property of their Happiness; and some say they see only the things which belong to them; some say that God discovers to them the Prayers of Men; some say they see in the Face of God, as in a Looking-glass, all things here below. Some assure that the Faithful which are upon [Page] Earth, give notice of their Desires and Minds to to the Saints, as the Angels do Communicate their Thoughts one with another. To make it short, the Roman Church is so uncertain concerning the Saints, that oftentimes she Worships and Prays to them, that are now burning in an everlasting Fire.

The Origine of the Intercession of the Saints, proceeds from those publick Penitents; which for their Crimes, were Condemned to be separated from the Church for some years. For Martyrdom being in a great Honour amongst Christians, and the Church having a particular esteem for those that were Prisoners for the Gospel, the publick Penitents did Write to these Martyrs, that they would be so kind as to Intercede for them towards the Church, that they might be admitted in her Communion, before the time of their [Page] Penance were expired. Such was the Intercession of Saints at that time, they knew then no other in the second Age, as it may be seen in St. Cyprian.

Secondly, I say that the Church of Rome adds to the Word of God, when she teaches, and will have us to believe that there is a Purgatory, wherein the Souls of the Faithful departing this Life are Afflicted and Tormented; some for a short time, some for a hundred years, some for a thousand and upwards, and others to the end of the World. For this Doctrine is not found in the Holy Scripture, but it is quite contrary to it; as it appears by these Words of the 14th Chapter of the Revelations, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord, from henceforth, yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours, and their works do follow them. As also by those of the Book of Wisdom, Canonized by the [Page] general Council of Trent, wherein it is written, that the Souls of the Righteous are in the hands of God, and there shall no torment touch them. This appears also by St. Paul, when he saith in his Epistle to the Romans, that there is now no Condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.

Nevertheless Pope Pius the Fourth finding Purgatory very advantageous to his Kitchin, speaks thus, I certainly believe that there is a Purgatory, and that the Souls detained therein are relieved by the Prayers of the Faithful. And the Council of Trent, Sess. 25. gives Order to all Bishops, to take care that the sound Doctrine of Purgatory, which was delivered to us by the holy Fathers and sacred Councils be Believed, and Taught, and Preached every where. And though Mr. Amelot, who was a Papist, and translated into French the History of the Council of Trent, does confess that Purgatory cannot [Page] be prov'd; and though the Church of Rome cannot declare, whether this Purgatory be in the Air, or in the Earth, or in the place wherein Sins are committed; yet she saith, that the Pope with an Indulgence laid unto a Bead, or Cross, or Medal; or with a Mass Celebrated upon certain days of the Week, gives Power to deliver from this Purgatory whom he pleases, and when he thinks it fit.

I say then in the first place, since this Doctrine is not found in the holy Scripture, the Roman Church addeth to the Word of God, and thinks above that which is written. 2ly, I shew she does destroy her self, when she will have us to believe under the Pain of Damnation, that there is a Purgatory. For, if there be a Purgatory, either it is to purge Sins, or to purge the Pain due unto them. It is not for the former, because the Roman Church believes, that Jesus Christ did by himself [Page] purge all our sins, according to these words of St. John, His Blood cleanses us from all sins; and because they are to be purged before we be separated from this World, it is then for the purgation of the Pain; but the Pain is punished and not purged; for a Gallows is not for the purgation of a Murder, but for the punishment of it. Therefore, since Purgatory, according to the Papists, is only for the Pain due to sins, they destroy themselves when they call it Purgatory. It has no warrant in the holy Scripture, for Jesus Christ shews but two places, Heaven and Hell, when he saith, that the Rich Man's Soul, which was unmerciful to Lazarus, went after his Death into Hell, and there was tormented; and that Lazarus's Soul, he being Dead, was carried into Abraham's Bosome, a place of Joy and Comfort. To the Thief which was Executed with Christ at his Passion, and [Page] believed in him, Jesus Christ answered, This day shalt thou be with me in Paradise: Which shews that the Souls of the Faithful never come into Purgatory-fire, to be burnt and tormented; for all their Sins are forgiven, and consequently the Punish ment incident to the same is forgiven also; and their Souls pass from Death to Life, that is, they go to Heaven. Blessed are the dead that dye in the Lord, from henceforth they rest from their labors, and their works follow them. If from the time of their Death they have Blessedness, and Rest, then they are not in any Purgatory-fire to be burnt and tormented. The first place, saith St. Austin, Hyp. L. 5. the Faith of the Catholicks, doth by divine Authority believe, is the Kingdom of Heaven; the second is Hell; a third place we are utterly ignorant of, neither can we find such a one in the holy Scriptures. And in his Enchiridion ad Laur. c. 67. He saith, [Page] That those that believe a Purgatoryfire, are much deceived, and that through a humane Conceit. Know ye, saith he, de van. secul. 1. c. That when the Soul is separated from its Body, she is immediately placed in Paradise for her good Works, or cast into Hell because of her Sins.

Object. The Primitive Church, say they, did pray for the Dead, as Tertullian de Corona Militis doth confess: Therefore it is a good proof that she believed a Purgatory.

I Answer, That when the Primitive Church did pray for the Dead, she did not believe they were in any place of Torments, nor that there was a Purgatory: She only believed, that the Souls of the Faithful should only enjoy the sight of God after the day of Resurrection. She prayed then for the filling up of their Glory; she prayed to be joyned with them, and be partakers of the Resurrection of the [Page] Faithful. She prayed that Jesus Christ would hasten their Resurrection; and she prayed also for the Patriarchs, the Prophets, the Apostles and Martyrs, that God would be pleased to increase their Glory; but she did not implore their assistance, nor believe a Purgatory, as it is related by Justin Martyr, 9. 60. and 76. Iren. L. 5. Tertul. Cont. Marc. L. 4. c▪ 13.

The Origine of Purgatory is Virgil in the sixth Book of his Eneids, wherein he saith, that the Souls, before they enjoy Blessedness, are differently purged in different places, as you may see in these following Verses.

Ergo exercentur poenis, veterumque malorum

Supplicia expendunt; aliae panduntur inanes

Suspensae ad ventos; aliis sub gurgite vasto

Infectum eluitur Scelus, aut exuritur igni, &c.

[Page] Thirdly, I shew that the Church of Rome adds to the Word of God, when she teaches, that the general Councils and Popes are Infallible; that the latter have Authority or Pre-eminence over all other Bishops; that they have power to Depose Kings and Princes from their Thrones, and are above them; for this Doctrine is not found in the holy Scriptures.

1. I say that their general Councils and Popes are not Infallible; for St. Austin, Tom. 6. l. 2. cont. Donat. plainly teaches that God alone and the holy Scriptures are Infallible or cannot Err. The general Councils, saith he, which are gathered of all the Christian World, are often corrected, the former by the latter, when by any tryal of things, that is opened which was shut, and that is known which was hidden. If a general Council may be corrected, as saith St. Austin, therefore it may err: Wherefore he speaks thus to Maximian [Page] Bishop of the Arians; Neither ought I to alledge the Council of Nice, nor thou the Council of Arimini to take advantage thereby; for neither am I bound nor held by the Authority of this, nor thou of that. Set Matter with Matter, Cause with Cause, or Reason with Reason; try the Matter by the Authority of the Scriptures, l. 3. c. 4.

The Council of Constantinople condemned the setting up Images in the Churches; and the Council of Nice, Act. 4. ordered afterwards they should be set up. One of these Councils, being contrary to the other, must needs be Erroneous. And that is granted by it self, when in a set Form of Prayer, which is appointed to be said after the conclusion of every Council, they pray, that God would spare their Ignorance and pardon their Errors. de ord. celeb. conc.

The Pope himself may Err; for Pope Innocentius doth teach, lib. ad [Page] Bonif. cont. Epist. Pelag. c. 4. That young Children cannot be saved, except they receive the Baptism of Christ, and also the Communion of his Body and Blood. And Pope Gelasius, Comperimus Consecra. de distinct. 2. did decree, That all they should be Excommunicated, which would receive the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper but in one kind. But this Doctrine is now taxed for an Error by all Papists; and the Council of Trent, Sess. 21. Can 1. made a Decree contrary to the Doctrine of the Pope Gelasius. If any body, saith this Council, assures that all and every Faithful are obliged by God's Commandment to receive one and the other species in the holy Sacrament of the Lord's Supper, let him be Anathema. Therefore it is evident that the Popes may Err: And this may be seen in their own Decrees, wherein it is written, That they are to be judged of none, except they be found erring from the[Page]Faith, part. 1. cap. dist. 40. cap. si Papa. Whereby it appears that they thought their Popes might Err in matter of Faith, or else that exception was put in vain. For all Men are subject to Error; all Men are worse in their Words, and Sinners in their Works. There is none True and Infallible but God, and his holy Scriptures, because they are inspired of him. He is the God of Truth, he cannot Lie, Tit. 1▪ 2.

2. I say that the Popes have no Authority or Pre-eminence over the other Bishops, though those of the Church of Rome stifly holding the contrary, give them the Title of Universal Bishops, and call them Gods on Earth, Kings of Kings, and Lords of Lords, as saith Albanus, de potest. pap. part. 1. n. 22. And Antonius, part. 3. n. 22. And upon the Triumphant Arch, Erected in the honour of Sixte the Fourth it was written,

[Page]

Oratio vocis Mundi moderaris h [...] henas

Et meritò in Terris diceris esse Deus.

But this Doctrine being not found in the holy Scriptures, it is consequently manifest they do add to the Word of God.

Objection, The Popes, say they, have Authority or Pre-eminence over all other Bishops, because they are Successors to St. Peter; and St. Peter had such a Pre-eminence and Authority over the rest of the Apostles; because Jesus Christ told him, Thou art Peter, and upon this Rock I will build my Church.

I grant that Christ said to Peter, after he had confessed him to be that Christ, and the Son of the Living God, Thou art Peter, and upon this Rock I will build my Church. But these words give no Superiority to St. Peter above the other Apostles; only they shew, that the Church is builded, not upon the Person of [Page] Peter, but upon the Rock, namely upon Christ, whom St. Peter confesses to be the Son of the Living God. For, as saith St. Paul, 1. Cor. 3. 11. That Rock was Christ, and other foundation can no man lay but that which is laid already, namely, Jesus Christ. And in the second Chapter to the Ephesians, he saith, That the Church is built upon the foundation of the Prophets and Apostles, Jesus Christ himself being the head stone in the corner. Where then can they find that St. Peter was made Prince of the Apostles, and had Pre-eminence or Authority over them? They say it is, when Jesus Christ gave unto Peter the Keys of Binding and Loosing.

I answer, that Christ therein gave no more Authority to St. Peter than to the rest of the Apostles; for he doth not say, I give unto Thee, but I will give unto Thee; which Promise was afterwards perform'd; and when it was perform'd, [Page] the Keys, or the Power of Binding and Loosing was given not only to St. Peter, but also unto all the rest together, Go ye, saith Jesus Christ, Matth. 28. 19. unto all nations, Baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And in the twentieth Chapter of St. John, he speaks thus, Receive ye the holy Ghost, whatsoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whatsoever sins ye retain, they are retained. By these words ye may clearly see, that Jesus Christ speaks unto all the Apostles, and not to Peter only. And so it is evident that St. Peter receives no more Power than the rest of the Apostles.

I grant that St. Peter may be called the first of the Apostles in the way of reckoning; or as it is commonly seen amongst Men, who though they be equal, do notwithstanding [Page] determine one amongst themselves, to whom, without being greater than the others, leave is given to speak first. St. Matthew 10. 2. did mean nothing else, when he said, Now the names of the twelve Apostles are these, the first Simon, who is called Peter. He doth not distinguish him from the others but by the order of counting. If he be then the first of the Apostles, it is only by the way of reckoning: For the Scripture tells us, Ephes. 2. 20. That the Church is no less builded upon the others than upon him; when she saith that the Faithful are builded upon the Foundation of the Prophets and Apostles, and that there is no other Foundation, nor other Head-stone to prop the Church but Jesus Christ, on whom the whole Edification is laid. He is the chief and principal Foundation, all the others are only subalterne and dependent. It is then impossible [Page] that St. Peter be the Foundation of the Church more than are the other Apostles, and consequently have more Authority. For, as I have already made it appear, Jesus Christ spake to all his Disciples gathered together, when he said, Matth. 18. 18. Whatsoever ye shall bind on Earth, shall be bound in Heaven; and whatsoever ye shall loose on Earth, shall be loosed in Heaven. He sends them all as his Father had sent him: He equally makes them his Ambassadors, and gives no more Power or Authority to one than to the other.

Where was Peter's Supremacy or Authority, when St. Paul, Gal. 2. 11. withstood him to the Face, because he was to be blamed? And where was Peter's Pre-eminence, when in the Council held at Hierusalem, where the Apostles were present, St. James, and not St. Peter did Rule in the Action? And when there was a dispute among [Page] the Apostles, which of them should be accounted the greatest, Luke 22. 25. Jesus Christ said unto them, The Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over them, and they that exercise authority upon them are called Benefactors; but ye shall not be so; but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve. If the greatest ought to be as the younger, and he that is chief as he that doth serve, what Authority has he over the rest? Since then the Pope's Authority over the other Bishops is grounded by the Church of Rome upon St. Peter's Authority over the other Apostles; and since St. Peter has no such Authority over them, it follows that the Popes have none over the other Bishops.

This is confirmed by the Popes themselves: For John Bishop of Constantinople aiming to be the first and have the Title of Universal [Page] Bishop, Gregorius Bishop of Rome withstood him; and in his 54th. Epistle to the Empress speaks thus of him. By this Pride and Vanity, what is foretold but that the time of Antichrist is at hand, and art like Lucifer, who making no account of that Happiness he had in common with the whole Army of Angels, aspired to a singularity over all the others, saying, as it is written in Isaiah, I will raise my Throne above the stars of Heaven. And in 28 Epistle he affirms, That whosoever takes the Title of Universal Bishop to himself, he cannot be less than Antichrist. And St. Hierome ad Evag. saith, That the Bishop of Eugubium, or any other the least See, is equal to the Bishop of Rome. For they are all joyned in the same Commission; they must serve in the Church, and be diligent to discharge that great Charge, which their Master Jesus Christ has eaqually laid upon them.

[Page] 3. I say that the Popes have no Power to Depose Kings and Princes from their Thrones, and are not above them. For the pulling down of Princes God has reserved to himself alone that Power; for it is he that putteth down the Mighty from their Seats, and Exalteth them of low Degree. By me, saith he, the Kings Reign, and Princes bear Dominion. He removes Kings, and setteth up Kings, wherefore, since it is God that has this Authority proper to himself, which way can the Popes claim it, without Injury to the Power of God, and to that of Kings, whereunto they ought to be submitted.

They say, it is by reason of their Keys, as it appears in the Bull of Excommunication, which the Pope Sixte the fifth thundered in the year 1585, against Henry King of Navarre, and the Prince of Conde, wherein he saith. That the Authority given to St. Peter and his Successors, [Page] by the infinite Power of God, is above all Powers upon Earth, that it belongs to that Authority to cause the Laws to be observ'd, and punish the Offenders, by pulling them down from their Seats, how Powerful soever they be.

This is the Origine and the Ground of the Popes Authority over all Men, and of Deposing Kings and Princes from their Thrones. But they are deceived; for they ought to remember, that the Keys given, were the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven; and consequently by this Authority of the Keys, he cannot meddle with Terrestrial Kingdoms, to shut out those that are in them. And they ought also to remember, that he has no more Authority by the Power of his Keys, or of Binding and Loosing, than any other Bishop; for the Keys were given to all the rest of the Apostles, as well as to St. Peter. For Christ speaks thus Receive[Page]ye the Holy Ghost, whosoever Sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosoever Sins ye retain, they are retained. It is then manifest, that it is contrary to the Will of Jesus Christ, that any Minister of the Gospel should claim Authority above another; for they are all indifferently joyned in one Commission, and consequently have all equal Authority. And therefore the Pope has no more Authority by the Vertue of his Keys than any other Bishop, that is to say, none at all to Depose Kings and Princes from their Thrones. His Duty is rather to obey them, and teach the same Obedience to others, as the Apostles of Christ did. For in the first Epistle of St. Peter, 2. 13. It is Written thus, Submit your selves to every Ordinance of Men for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the King, as Supreme. And St. Paul to the Romans, 3. 1. saith; Let every Soul be Subject to the higher Powers. And [Page] Jesus Christ himself said, that his Kingdom was not of this World. He refused to be made a King, he payed Tribute to Caesar, and commanded others to do the same. If then Christ were Subject to Caesar, is it not a great shame to the Pope to exalt himself above Caesar, I mean above Kings.

Some Papists do Answer, that he got this Sovereign Authority by Donation from the Emperor Constantine; but let it be granted, that some Christian Emperor was so foolish, as to give his Empire, (which is neither likely nor credible) yet I say it was not Lawful for him to take it, if he will be a true Minister of the Gospel, or lawful Successor of the Apostles. For Christ has expresly forbidden his Apostles, and in them all the Ministers of the Gospel, all such Dominions, when he told them, Matth. 20. 26. Ye know that the Princes of the Gentiles exercise Dominion[Page]over them, but it shall not be so among you. Which words being prohibitory shew that they must not Reign like Kings of Nations, but must serve in the Church, and be diligent in the great Charge that Jesus Christ has laid upon them.

It is then evident by what I have said here before, that the Pope has no Authority over Kings and Princes, and is not above them. This may be seen by these Words of Tertullian, in Apolog. We Honour, saith he, the Emperor as the next Man to God, and Inferior to god only. And in another place, he saith, that the King i [...] the second to God, the first next after God, and before and over all Men.

Optatus Cont. Parmen. l. 13. saith, that there is none above the Emperor but God only, which made the Emperor. And St. Chrysostome, ad Pop. Anthio. hom. 2. saith, He has no equal on Earth. And Gregory [Page] Bishop of Rome, himself affirms, that Power is given to Princes from Heaven, not only over Souldiers, but Priests also. Which is confirmed by St. Peter, when he saith in his first Epistle 2. 13. Submit your selves to every Ordinance, for the Lord's sake, whether it be to the King, as Supream.

It is then evident, that the Popes are not Infallible, that they have no Authority to Depose Kings and Princes from their Thrones, and that they are not above them. And therefore that the Church of Rome does add to the Word of God, when she holds and teaches such a Doctrine.

Secondly, I say, and shall endeavour to make it appear, that the Roman Church diminishes from the Word of God, several Points of Faith and Practice. 1. Because she Prays, Sings, and gives Thanks to God in the Church in an unknown Tongue. 2. Because she forbids [Page] the Reading of the Holy Scriptures to the common People. 3. Because in the Lord's Supper, she takes away the Cup from them and from the Clerks that are not Priests. 4. Because she forbids every one to eat Flesh in certain Time and Days, and all Priests, Monks and Nuns to Marry.

1. I say that the Roman Church diminishes from the Word of God, when she Prays, Sings, and gives thanks to God in the Church in a Tongue unknown to the common People. For St. Paul will not only have us to speak in the Church with a known Tongue, but also he shews the Confusion of them that speak in an unknown Tongues. Except Pipe or Harp, saith he, 1 Cor. 14. give distinction in the sound, how shall it be known what is Piped or Harped? If the Trumpet gives an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the Battle? So likewise you, except ye utter by the Tongue, Words easie to [Page]be understood, how shall it be known what is spoken? For ye shall speak into the Air. Therefore if I know not the meaning of the Voice, I shall be unto him that speaketh a Barbarian, and he that speaketh shall be a Barbarian unto me.

Object. St. Paul saith, the Church of Rome thereby speaketh concerning Sermons, and consequently doth not speak against her, because she Preaches in a known Tongue. I answer, that St. Paul speaks concerning Prayers, Psalms and Thanksgivings. If I Pray, saith he, in an unknown Tongue, my Spirit Prayeth, but my Understanding is Unfruitful. What is it then? I will Pray with the Spirit, and I will Pray with the Understanding also; I will Sing with the Spirit, and I will Sing with the Understanding also; else when thou shalt bless with the Spirit, [...] shall [...]e, that occupyeth the Room of the Unlearned, say Amen at thy giving [Page] of Thanks, seeing he understands not what thou sayest.

And notwithstanding this Ordinance of St. Paul, and the Confusion of them which go against it; as it is declared by the Comparisons of the Pipe, Harp, and Trumpet, the Roman Church Prays, Sings, and gives Thanks in the Church in a Tongue unknown to the common People. And though in the Primitive Church, all Prayers were made in the vulgar Tongue. Linguâ auditoribus non ignotâ omnia peragebantur, & consuetudo ita ferebat, ut tota Ecclesia simul pssalleret. And though St. Austin says, Deus vult ut quod Canimus intelligamus & humana ratione non quasi Avium voce canamus. God will have us to understand what we Sing, and not be like Parrots, which do not understand what they say. Yet the Church of Rome doth not obey this Commandment, [Page] but continue still in that Error.

The Origine of this Error proceeds from the Popes of Rome, who being exalted in an eminent degree of Grandeur, could not be contented until they had set up Laws, though very irregular and unreasonable; and as it is usual amongst Conquerors, had introduced and impos'd their own Language upon those they had subdued and made their Slaves. So they have to the uttermost of their Power established their Liturgies, Ceremonies and Language in all Churches, that they might serve afterwards as a Monument of their Jurisdiction and Authority upon others.

2. I say that the Roman Church doth diminish from the Word of God, when she forbids the Reading of the Holy Scriptures to the common People. For this forbiding of hers is wholly contrary to the Commandment of Jesus Christ, [Page] who in the 5th chapter of St. John 39 Verse, speaks thus, Search the scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life; and they are they which testifie of me. And quite contrary to this Ordinance of St. Paul, who writing both to the Bishops and all his Brethren, either Men or Women, either young or old, speaks thus in his first Epistle to the Thessalonians, 5. 27. I charge you by the Lord, that this Epistle be read unto all holy Brethren. And writing to the Colossians, 4. 16. he saith, When this Epistle is read among you, cause that it be read also in the Church of the Laodiceans, and that ye likewise read the Epistle from Laodicea.

However, as if the Church of Rome were wiser than Jesus Christ, St. John, St. Paul, and all other Apostles and holy Fathers, who did so much, and so often recommend it, she forbids it to the common People, stifly affirming that it is [Page] dangerous, that it causes Schisms, several Sects and Heresies. For in the Council of Trent it is written, that if the Reading of the Holy Scripture be permitted in a known Tongue amongst all People, it will be more hurtful than profitable.

The abuse some make of the Holy Scripture, ought not generally to condemn the use of it; otherwise the best things would be taken away from us, because they are sometimes misused. The use of Wine would be forbidden; because many are Drunk with it, and is the cause of several Disorders. It is enough to forbid what is essentially bad, without forbidding that which is essentially good. Jesus Christ doth not only permit the Reading of the Holy Scripture to some particular Jews, but he enjoyns it unto all. [...]earch, saith he, the Scriptu [...]. And that he may the better [...] them, he makes them remember, That in them they [Page]think they have eternal Life. He seems in another place to attribute all their Errors to the Ignorance of that Sacred Book, when he said to the Saducees, Matth. 22. 29. Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures. Had not the Eunuch read the Prophet Isaiah, he should never have understood him. And it was by this Reading he began to be a Christian; as it may be seen in the Acts, 8. 30.

The People of Berea, as it appears in the 17th Chapter of the Acts, were highly commended that they searched the Scriptures, to see whether those things were true or no, which Paul did Teach. For whosoever he be, though he were an Angel from Heaven, if he Teach Matters contrary to the Doctrine of the Holy Scriptures, we are to hold him accursed; as saith St. Paul, Gal. 1. 8. All Scripture, saith the same Apostle, 2 Tim. 3. 16. is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable[Page]for Doctrine, for Reproof, for Correction, for Instruction in Righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works.

Nevertheless the Church of Rome doth forbid to the common People so good a Book, so useful to Piety, and so necessary to Salvation. Is it not then a great Cruelty to forbid Children to see and read the Testament of their Fathers! Is it not an excess of rigour to deprive them of that which nourishes their Souls for an Eternal Life? And is it not an extreme Tyranny to hinder them from seeing that, which they are to be judged upon?

3. I say that the Church of Rome diminishes from the Word of God, when in the Lord's Supper she takes away the Cup from the common People, and from the Clerks that are not Priests. For we read in St. Matthew 26. 27. that in the [Page] Institution of this Sacrament, Jesus Christ took the Cup, and gave it all his Disciples, saying, drink ye all of it.

Objection, When Jesus Christ said to his Disciples, Drink ye all of it, He spake to the Priests only, saith the Roman Church, and therefore the Priests only ought to drink of the Cup.

I Answer, that St. Paul writing to the Corinthians, amongst whom were more Laics than Priests, doth evidently shew the contrary; for, speaking to every one, he saith, 1. Cor. 11. 28. Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup. St. Ignatius, Bishop of Antioch, and Disciple of the Apostles, in the 69th. Year of our Lord Jesus Christ, Epist. 9. ad Philadelph. saith, That one and the same Bread was broken to all, and one and the same Cup distributed to all. Justin Marty tells us, That the consecrated Bread and Wine were▪ [Page] in his time, distributed to every Communicant. And St. Chrysostome, Hom. 18. upon the second Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians speaks thus, There is a time, where there is no difference between Priests and th [...]se that preside over, as when we receive the holy Mysteries; for we are all equally admitted to them. It is not now as it was under the Old Testament, where the Priest did eat particular things, and the People others; where it was not lawful to the People to eat that which the High Priest was then eating. It is not so now, for one and the same Body, and one and the same Cup is given to all.

The Pope Gelasius, in the Year 490. 2. Distinct. 2. Can. Comperimus, did Decree, that all they should be Excommunicated, which would receive the Lord's Supper but in one kind; and his Predecessor Leo did call those Sacrilegious, that did refuse to take the Cup.

[Page] And tho' in the general Council of Constance, Sess. 13. the Roman Church do confess this holy Sacrament was receiv'd in the Primitive Church with the Bread and the Cup; yet in the general Council of Trent she speaks thus▪ If any man say that the Catholick Church had not just Reasons to give the Communion to the Laics, and Clerks who did not say Mass, under the accidents of Bread only, and that she Erred in this, let him be Anathema.

The Reasons, saith the Roman Church, why they took the Cup from them, are many Inconveniencies and several Absurdities.

I Answer, that besides there is no Inconveniency, though there should be any, it ought not to be above the Commandment of Jesus Christ and St. Paul. Christ, the Primitive Church, and the Apostles were very Wise; and Wiser than shall ever be the Church of Rome; and since they have commanded [Page] and given the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper with the Cup, the Roman Church ought to follow their example and obey them. The Inconveniencies, which they suppose at this day, as that the Flies may fall into the Cup, or that the Communicant's Beard may touch the Blood, were in the time of Jesus Christ and his Apostles: Had there been any Inconveniency, Jesus Christ and his Apostles should have certainly remedy'd it. Therefore since they have not forbidden the Cup to the common People, who did then receive the Communion, the Church of Rome ought not now to forbid it.

The Origine of taking the Cup from the common People proceeds from Transubstantiation; which being believed produces Concomitancy▪ and from this Concomitancy followed this conclusion, that the Laics ought to be contented with the consecrated Bread, because the [Page] Blood of Christ was therein contained as well as in the Cup.

But I have already prov'd, that there is no Transubstantiation in the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper: And though there were any, the Roman Church ought not to take away the Cup from the People; because Jesus Christ, his Apostles, and the Primitive Church did not take it from them; and because St. Paul orders every one to take it, when he saith, Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that Bread and drink of that Cup.

4. I say that the Roman Church diminishes from the Word of God, when she forbids every one to Eat Flesh in certain times and days; and all Priests, Monks and Nuns to Marry: For St. Paul, writing to the Colossians 2. 16. speaks thus, Let no man judge you in meat and drink. And in his first Epistle to the Corinthians 10. 24. &c. whatsoever, [Page] saith he, is sold in the Shambles, that eat, asking no question for Conscience sake. If any of them, that believe not, bid you to a Feast, and ye be disposed to go, whatsoever is set before you, eat. And writing to Timothy, he saith, That every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving.

And concerning Marriage, 1 Cor. 9. 6. he speaks thus, Have we not power to lead about a sister a wife, as well as other Apostles, and as the Brethren of the Lord and Cephas? And in the 1 to Timothy 3. 2. he saith, That a Bishop can be the husband of one wife. And in the 13 to the Hebrews, that Marriage is honourable to all, and the bed undefiled, but wh [...]m [...]gers and adulterers God [...] judge. And in the [...] to Timothy 4. 3. he tells us, that forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats is a doctrine of Devils. And Jesus Christ himself [Page]honoured so much the Marriage of the Priests, that he did chuse the Son of the High Priest Zacharias to be his Fore-runner. To avoid Fornication, saith St. Paul, 1 Cor. 7. 2. Let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.

And notwithstanding all these Texts of the holy Scripture, the Roman Church commands, under the pain of Sin unto Death, and consequently of Damnation, to abstain from Flesh in certain times and days; and forbids all Bishops, Priests and Clerks to marry. And though in the Council of Nice, of which the Ecclesiastical Historian speaks thus, It pleased some Bishops to introduce a new Law in the Church; that those, who were dedicated to holy Ministry, namely the Bishops, Priests, Elders and Deacons, should lie no more with their Wives. But Pa [...]hautius an Egyptian Bishop, and who had one of his Eyes pluckt out for [Page]the Confession of Jesus Christ, rose up, and opposed them, saying, That they ought not to impose so heavy a Yoke; because Marriage was honourable in all, and the Bed undefiled; and that this Prohibition would be hurtful to the Church, because all men had not the Gift of Continence; which did so much prevail, that the Council consented to his opinion, Hist. tripart. l. 2. c. 14. Yet Gregory the VIIth▪ with cruel Decrees of Excommunication, deprived Ministers of their Wives, and forced the Clergy to the Vow of Continence. And the Council of Trent, Sess. 23. Can. 11. forbids Marriage to all Clerks that are in Orders, and to all Regulers or Monks that have made a solemn Vow of Chastity; and thundereth Anathema against those that say they may marry, notwithstanding they feel they have not the Gift of Chastity. And so this Council doth not only oppose the Primitive Church, and the Apostles, but even the Law, [Page] which God himself has pronounced. For when he said, Thou shalt not commit Adultery, thou shalt not be a Whoremonger; it is as if he should say, Thou shalt make use of Marriage, which is a proper means to avoid these two great Sins. It is an implicit Commandment of God made to all Men and Women that have not the Gift of Continence, in what state and condition soever they be.

Objection, The Monks and Nuns have made a solemn Vow of perpetual Chasttiy; therefore they cannot marry.

I Answer that they cannot, and ought not to make such a Vow. For every Vow, to be good, according to the very Principles of the Church of Rome, ought to have two Conditions: It ought to be of a good thing, and ought to be in our Power. When the Jews made a Vow, that they would neither Eat nor Drink, till they had kill'd [Page] Paul; that Vow was void, and they were not obliged by it: For, had it been in their Power, yet it was of a bad thing. And when Jacob did Vow unto God, if he could return in peace into his Father's House, the Lord should be his God, and would offer unto him the Tenth part of his Goods, Gen. 28. 20. That Vow was good, because it contained the two required Conditions for a good Vow. It was of a good thing, and in his Power. When Monks and Nuns, at sixteen years old, Vow unto God Almighty to keep a perpetual Chasttiy, that Vow doth not bind them, because it is made of a thing which is not in their Power: For Continence is a Gift of God. He d [...]h not grant it to every body, but to whom he pleases, Matth. 19. 11. Therefore those only, that are indeed with it, are bound to keep it. Therefore when he, that has Vowed a perpetual Chastity, finds [Page] by experience, he is often troubl'd with the Lusts of the Flesh; and, though he has several times called upon God, they still continue to torment him, it is a certain sign that God has not granted him the Gift of Continence; and therefore will have him to make use of Marriage, which is honourable amongst all, and which he has appointed as a means to keep Mankind, and as a remedy to pacifie our inordinate Passions. For, when he made Man, he speaks thus, It is not good for a man to be alone, I will give him a companion, Gen. 2. 18. He made them male and female; and for this cause, he said, that man shall forsake Father and Mother, and cleave to his wife, Matth. 19. And St. Paul saith, That, to avoid fornication every man ought to have his own wife, and every woman her own husband, for it is [...] to marry than burn, 1▪ Cor. 7. Formerly young Women were not admitted to take [Page] the Nun's Vail, till they were forty years old, as it may be seen, Can. Sanctimoniales causa 20. 9. 1. And though St. Paul speaks thus, I will that younger women marry, bear children, guide the house: Let not a widow be taken in the number under threescore years old; but the younger widows refuse, for when they have begun to wax wanton against Christ, they will marry, 1 Tim 5. Yet those of the Church of Rome laugh now at this Ordinance and Custome: For they shut up young Maids in Monastries, before they have any true knowledge of God, of the World, and of Themselves. So Rhea Sylvia Numitor's Daughter was shut up in the Monastry of Vesta by her Uncle Amulius, who had expelled Numitor for fear she should marry, and get Children able to revenge and re-obtain her Father's Estate. They are shut up in Iron Cages, as wild Beasts, and mad Folks, for fear they should [Page] commit any disorder. By this Prison, wherein they are shut up; and by this Prohibition of Gregory, That all Priests and Clerks ought not to converse, nor dwell with Women, nor so much as with their Mothers, Sisters, and Kindred, lest it should happen to them, as it happened to the Son of David. It is clear that neither the one nor the other have the Gift of Continence; for if they were endued with it, for what end all these Iron Cages to the Nuns, and all those strict Prohibitions to the Priests? And if they have not the Gift of Continence; St. Paul commands them to marry, and consequently they are not bound to keep their Vows. Therefore all Priests, Monks and Nnus, are obliged to them but upon this condition, that God has endued them with the Gift of Continence. As he, that made a Vow to be a great Philosopher, or famous Orator, is not bound to the performance [Page] of that Vow but upon condition, that God gives him a sufficient Wit and Strength for the obtaining of these two eminent Qualities. I have the Gift of Continence, therefore I make a Vow to keep a perpetual Chastity, that Consequence is good. But I promise unto God a perpetual Chastity, therefore he shall give me the Gift of Continence, this Consequence is not good. For in the Contracts we make with Men, our Promise doth not oblige us, but as it is accepted by him, to whom we make it. And when a young Man and Maid at sixteen years old, solemnly promise unto God a perpetual Chastity, who told them that God did accept their Promise?

Therefore, since many Monks, Nuns, and Priests, have neither the Gift of Continence, nor any assurance that they shall have it all the Days of their Lives; it is a Rashness to them to promise what is [Page] not in their Power. Therefore their Vow wanting the last Condition to make it good, becomes void; therefore they may, and ought to Marry. For it is better to Marry than to Burn; and Marriage is Honourable in all, but the Whoremongers and Adulterers God will Judge.

The Origine of Monastical Life, came from several Christians, who in the time of Persecution retired into desert Places. And when Persecution ceased, many of them rested there, either because they were used to that Calm, Innocent, and retired way of Life; or because they were afraid to fall again into Persecution. But this Monastical Life was quite different from that which is now seen at this day. For then they made no Vow of perpetual Chastity; they lived with the Labour of their Hands, and many of them were Married.

And St. Cyprian, l. 1. Epist. 9. c. 11. tells us, that the Virgins, [Page] who did Consecrate themselves unto God, that they might relieve the Poor, had the liberty of breaking their Vow of perpetual Chastity, when they thought, they might better serve God in the State of Marriage, than in that of Virginity.

Let us then conclude, since those, who contrary to Christ's Doctrine, and the Law of Nature persecute, and cause Men to die, merely because they are not of their Opinion and Religion, are Cruel and Tyrannous; since those that do Worship the Creature for the Creator, are Idolaters; and since those, that do add to the Word of God, and diminish from it several Articles both of Faith and Practice, are Hereticks.

The Roman Church, contrary to Christ's Doctrine and the Law of Nature, Persecuting and causing Men to Die, merely because they are not of her Opinion and Religion; [Page] Worshiping the Creature for the Creator; and adding to the Word of God, and diminishing from it several Articles of Faith and Practice, it doth evidently follow, that she is Tyrannous, Idolatrous and Heretick.

FINIS.

First Sermon of Repentance.

[Page]

‘Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish,’Luke 13. 3.

IF Lucifer with all his proud and obstinate Companions; if Dives, Judas, and many other wicked Men were cast into Hell, and did all likewise perish; it is because they did not repent of their Sins. But there is this difference between Angels and Men, that though God, according to all Divines, did not grant the grace of Repentance to the former, yet he did not refuse it to the latter: For, speaking concerning Man, he saith, Ezechiel 18. 32. I will not the death of a Sinner, but that he turn and live.

Repentance is called by St. Austin a second Plank after Shipwrack. [Page] For, when Men have made Ship-wrack, to lay hold on a Plank, is their only remedy; so, when in the vast Ocean of this World, they are lost by Sin, the only remedy left them, that they may not eternally perish, is Repentance.

If I begin to Preach unto you this excellent Virtue, ye are not to wonder at me, for I do nothing but what St. John the Baptist, Jesus Christ, the Apostles, and Holy Prophets, have done, when they began to Preach and convert Sinners. Repent ye, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, said Jesus Christ in his First Sermon; and in the words of my Text he speaks thus, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. By these words ye shall see the necessity and utility of Repentance; but because it is hard to Men, first I will shew you its difficulty. That Repentance is hard, will be the first part of my discourse; that it is necessary, will be [Page] the second, and that it is very useful, will be the third.

1. Part. I must confess that Repentance is very hard; the Latin word Poenitentia does evidently shew it, for it means nothing but pain and grief. Indeed there is nothing in this World more difficult to Men than Repentance, whether we consider it in respect of the Creator, or in respect of the Creature.

If we consider it in respect of the Creator, God must, without forcing our wills, make a change in our minds and Hearts. He must change the mind and heart of him, that feeds an Inclination for revenge. Love must take the place of hatred; meekness and clemency that of bitterness and cruelty. God must, without destroying the free will of Man, work so in his mind and heart, as to make him forsake and renounce the Object, which he loves best, and without which he [Page] cannot live. This is harder to God (if I may speak so) than to create Heaven and Earth. For, when God would create all the things that are in this World, he only said, let there be such a thing, and presently it was created. But when he will convert a Sinner, and will have him to forsake his wickedness, what resistance and opposition does he not find, notwithstanding the different means he makes use of.

For Oftentimes God, willing to induce a Sinner to repent of his sins, cherishes him as a Nurse does her Young sucking Child, and as a good Husband his Faithful Wife. Sometimes he threatens him, as a careful Father threatens his disobedient Son; as a good Master his unruled Servant; and as a just Judge his guilty Prisoner. And yet his cherishings and threatnings do very often prove vain and unprofitable. The sinner remains in his Crimes, and will not repent of them.

[Page] God, according to his ordinary way in the Conversion of a Sinner, must give him a preventing Grace, and afterwards an assisting one; and though these two Graces be sufficient for a true and sincere Conversion, yet to pass from Power to Act, he must needs give him another Grace, which is called effectual. This is the difficulty of Repentance considered in respect of God our Creator.

But it is more hard and difficult, if we consider it in respect of the Creature. For a Man, who got a great store of Goods by an Unjust way, is bound to restore them wholly to him they belong to; for, as saith St. Austin, Non remittitur Peccatum, nisi restituatur, ablatum. A Sensual and Carnal Man, who wholly devoted himself to worldly Delights and Pleasures, is obliged to forsake them for ever. What Pain, and what Difficulty does he not find, when he takes resolution [Page] to leave them? And this Difficulty is the greater, if he be an old Sinner, and got a bad Custom. For, can the Ethiopian change his Skin, saith the Prophet Jeremiah, or the Leopard his Spots, then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil, 13. 23.

We see that every day by our own experience, especially if a Man be accustomed either to Drunkenness or Impurity. For then he will find a great difficulty to subdue and forsake his filthy and dishonest Passion. If Grace invites him to abandon his Sins, and truly Repent of them, Nature presently opposes it self, and gives him a quite contrary Mind.

There is a Fight in that Man between Nature and Grace. And to speak otherwise, there are two Men in that Man; the Man of Grace, and the Man of Sin. The Man of Grace is willing to forsake his Sins, and Repent of them, and [Page] the Man of Sin is unwilling. The Man of Grace speaks thus, these many Years I have committed Sins, I must now forsake them, with all the guilty Pleasures of this World, and I must wholly consecrate my self unto God. And the Man of Sin saith, what! wilt thou forsake those Delights, Pleasures, Sports and Recreations, which so many Men sigh after, and with so great a Passion, as if their soveraign Happiness were truly consisting in them? The Man of Grace saith, come, I will Repent; and the Man of Sin replies, not yet, not now, stay a little longer I pray thee. To make it short, there is a wonderful Battel in this poor Man's Heart and Mind. I look upon him as upon a Ship in a great and furious Storm: For as this Ship by the violence of Waves, goes sometimes as high as the Clouds, and presently seems to go down into the bottom of the Sea; [Page] so this Man Ascends into Heaven by Grace, and Descends into Hell by Sin. What strange Fight do we see in this poor and miserable Creature? What difficulty does he not find, when he is willing to forsake his Sins? And when he delays from day to day, that Difficulty encreases, for two Reasons. The first is taken from Grace, and the Second from Sin. The Reason taken from Grace is, that being necessary to forsake Sins, it goes away, and forsakes the Creature, that is delaying from day to day. The other Reason taken from Sin, is because it is compared unto a young Tree, which grows every Month stronger and stronger, and is hardly pluck'd out, if we let it grow several Years. For it is easie to a Hedge-hog to thrust out her Youngs before their Bristles be grown strong; but if she stays too long, she shall rather die, then expel them out of their Hole. Sin is [Page] like unto a Hedge-hog; for it is easie to cast it out of our Hearts, when it is Young, I mean in its beginning; but if we stay too long, what difficulty shall we not find to pluck it out of them? Such as the Ethiopian in changing his Skin, and the Leopard his Spots.

Wherefore we must confess, that Repentance is hard and difficult to Men, whether considered in respect of the Creator, or in respect of the Creature. Nevertheless it is necessary, unless we will all perish. And this I am going to shew you in the second part of my Discourse.

2. Part. This Man, who was sent from God, to bear witness of the Light, that all Men through him might believe; this Man, I mean St. John the Baptist, began his Sermons by this necessary Virtue. And when Jesus Christ began to Preach, he began with these Words, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. These two [Page] Examples would be sufficient to convince us of the necessity of Repentance. But that I may remove all Doubts from your Minds, I will prove that we are obliged to Repent of our Sins, for two Reasons. First, because we have offended God, who is our Father; and secondly, because if we do not Repent, we shall all be unhappy for ever.

That God is our Father, all Christians do acknowledge this Truth; for, as often as they say the Lord's Prayer, they confess God to be their Father. Yes certainly God is our Father, since he made and Created us: And to speak properly, he only is our Father. Call no man Father on earth, for one is your Father, which is in Heaven, Matth. 23. 9. He is more properly our Father, than those that brought us into the World; because he not only concurs with them in the Production [Page] of our Bodies, but also because he alone Created our Souls, and makes us partakers of his holy Grace, whereby we become his Children. If then it be true, that God is our Father, likewise it is certain we have Sinned against him two different ways; positively, when we have done those things, which we ought not to have done; and negatively, when we have left undone those things which we ought to have done.

We have offended him in our Hearts, in our Understandings, by our Tongues, by our Hands, Feet, Ears and Eyes. In our Hearts and Understandings we have sinned against God, as often as we have thought and desired any thing contrary to his holy Commandments. With our Tongues we have offended him, as many times as we took his Name in vain, or spake ill Words, or were Slanderers, or false Witnesses against our Neigh- [Page] Neighbours. With our Hands, as often as we did strike any body, or Rob him of his Goods. With our Feet, when we went into those places, which we knew to be to us an occasion of Sin. With our Ears, when we took delight in hearing impure and obscene Words. And with our Eyes, as often as we did read bad Books, and look upon a Woman to Lust after her.

Seeing then we have so many ways sinned against God, who is our Father, I think it is very reasonable we should Repent. And, if to Repent is nothing but to weep for our Sins, and commit them no more, are we not obliged to it, since we have sinned against him? How cruel it is, saith St. Austin, to offend such a Father, and willingly commit any thing against his Commandments! We did fall into such a Cruelty, as often as we have sinned against him. It is then very [Page] necessary we should Repent. Therefore let us weep for our Sins, and commit them no more. Let us begin to day, at this very hour and moment, and continue all the days of our Lives. Let us beg him Forgiveness; and kneeling with a contrite Heart, let us say as the prodigal Child, Father I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. Let us imitate, David, St. Peter, and Mary Magdalen: They have Sinned, but they have Repented. They bitterly wept for their Trespasses, and committed them no more. We have followed them in their Sins, let us follow them also in their Repentance. We are obliged to't, seeing we have offended God, who is our Father.

The second Reason why we are obliged to Repent, is because if we do not, we shall certainly be unhappy for ever.

[Page] He that is cast into an eternal Fire, is Miserable and Unhappy for ever, seeing he endures there exceeding immoderate Torments. For he undergoes two sorts of Pains, one Privative, and the other Positive. 1. Privative, because in that burning Prison he is deprived from the sight of God, who is infinitely beautiful, good, perfect, and consequently infinitely worthy to be loved; and put out of the Company of Jesus Christ, of the Angels, and all blessed Souls; thereby losing all the Delights, Treasures and Honours which are found in the Kingdom of Heaven.

2. Positive, Because he that is in that fiery Prison, is always full of Sorrow, Fury, Grief and Despair, being detained in a place of Tears, Sighs, Groanings, gnashing of Teeth, and innumerable other Torments, which no Tongue can express. Therefore if he, that is in an eternal Fire, wherein he is suffering [Page] all these positive and privative torments, which I have just now described unto you, be unhappy and miserable for ever; it is certain, we shall be so, unless we repent. For except ye repent, saith Jesus Christ in the words of my Text, ye shall all likewise perish.

We may believe Jesus Christ, the axe, saith he, is laid unto the root of the Trees; therefore every Tree, which brings not forth good fruit, is hewen down, and cast into the fire; yes certainly, except we repent, we shall not escape these eternally burning Prisons; we shall undergo all the Torments contained therein; we shall be unfortunate, and all perish for ever. For, since God did not forgive his Angels, and did cast into Hell the Inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, with Dives, Judas, and several others, because they would not forsake their Sins; let us be certain, if we do not repent, we shall receive [Page] alike punishment; we must either burn or repent, saith St. Austin, and except ye repent, saith Jesus Christ, ye shall all likewise perish.

Are we then willing to escape these eternally tormenting Flames? have we a desire that our Sins should not be punish'd of God? we must needs punish them our selves, whilst we live in this World. Wilt thou not have God to punish thy sins? saith St. Austin, punish them thy self; for every iniquity either great or small, is to be punisht either by repenting Man, or by a revenging God.

And that we may be the more inclined to repent, let us see its utility; this is the third part of my Discourse.

3. Part. Repentance is useful. 1. Because it blots out all our Sins. 2. Because thereby we obtain the Grace of God. And, 3. Because therein consists the Salvation of all Men.

[Page] Before I make it appear unto you, that Repentance blots out all our Sins; ye must know, that Sin is hurtful for three special Effects. 1. Because it kills our Souls. The Soul, saith Ezekiel, that sinneth, it shall die, 18. 4. But how can Sin kill our Soul, since it is immortal? The reason is, because there is a double life in our Soul; one natural, and another supernatural. As for the former life, our Soul does not lose it by Sin; but as for the latter, which is more excellent than the other; and without which natural life is nothing but sorrow, misery, trouble and grief, Sin kills it. The Soul, that sinneth, it shall die.

Secondly, Sin is hurtful, because thereby we lose infinite Riches both of Body and Soul; we lose saith Laurence Justinian in his Sermon concerning St. John the Evangelist, the Whiteness of Innocency, the Gown of Immortality, the Purity [Page] of the Soul, the sweetness and delight of Contemplation, the liberty of Spirit, the Kingdom of Heaven, the Society of Angels, and the Love of God.

Thirdly, Sin is hurtful, because he that Sinneth, from the Child of God becomes the Child of the Devil. He that commits Sin, saith St. John, is of the Devil, for the Devil sinneth from the beginning, 1 John 3. 8.

If Sin be so hurtful, as I have made it appear, Repentance must needs be very advantageous, seeing it blots out all our Sins. This Truth is evident by these Words, Repent ye, and be converted, that your sins may [...]e blotted out, Acts 3. 9. For as the Sun expells Darkness, because of the essential Opposition they have one with another; likewise Repentance expells Sins. It is like unto that Pool, whereof it is spoken in the Fifth Chapter of St. John, which whosoever first, [Page] after the troubling of the Water, stepped in, was made whole of whatsoever Disease he had.

Witness David and Mary Magdalen. David did commit both Adultery and Murther. He killed Uriah with the Sword, and took away his Wife. He Repented of his Sins, he begged Pardon unto God, and said, I have sinned against the Lord, 2 Sam. 13. 12. And what then? his Sins were blotted out, the Lord did forgive him.

Mary Magdalene, whose Sins were many, and out of whom went seven Devils, Luke 1. She Repented of her Sins; for when she knew, that Jesus sat at Meat in the Pharisees House, brought an Alabaster Box of Oyntment, and stood at his Feet with Tears, and did wipe them with the Hairs of her Head, and kissed his Feet and Anointed them. And what did happen unto her? She heard Christ saying, thy Sins, which are [Page]many, are forgiven. What happened to David and Mary Magdalen, will certainly befall us, if we do imitate them in their Repentance. Though your Sins be as Scarlet, saith the Prophet Isaiah, they shall be as white as Snow; though they be red like Crimson, they shall be as white as wool.

Secondly, Repentance is useful, because thereby we obtain the Grace of God. Indeed there is nothing more advantageous to Man than God's Grace. For thereby we are made the Children of God, not by Nature, but by Adoption. Thereby we are made Heirs of God, and Joint-Heirs with Christ, Rom. 8. 17. And thereby we are made Partakers of all the Treasures and Riches, which are found in the Kingdom of Heaven. It is then certain, that by Repentance we obtain the Grace of God. For according to all Divines, it is a Motion from Sin unto Grace. In a Motion [Page] there are two ways, the way, whence we depart, and that, which we go to. The way, whence we depart, and which we forsake, is Sin; and that which we go to, and which we obtain, is Grace. The Publican, whom it is spoken of in St. Luke 18. 3. Does verifie the Truth of my Proposition. He comes unjust into the Temple, and standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his Eyes unto Heaven, but smote upon his Breast, saying God be merciful unto me a Sinner; and he obtained Grace, for he went down to his House justified. Is any one of us a Swearer, or Drunkard, Slanderer, Proud, or given to any other Vice? He has lost the Grace of God. Is he willing to recover it? Let him humble himself before God; let him fall upon his Knees; let him sigh, weep, confess his Sins, Repent of them, and like the Publican, let him smite upon his Breast, and say, God be merciful [Page] to me a Sinner; and then he will recover the Grace of God, and go into his Cabine justified.

Thirdly, Repentance is useful, because therein consists the Salvation of all Men. Man was lost twice. First, by the original Sin, which is nothing but the Crime of Adam, and called ours, because our Will was inclosed in his. Secondly, by personal or actual Sin, so called, because it was committed by our own Will. The Sacrament of Baptism, according to the common opinion, was ordered by Jesus Christ to save Mankind from that first Ship-wrack; and Repentance was Established by God to save them from the second. Therefore it is called the second plank after Ship-wrack, and for that Reason therein consists the Salvation of all Men.

Certainly we cannot hope to be Saved without that most excellent and necessary Virtue. If all the Angels [Page] and Saints in Heaven would pray for the Salvation of an unrepenting Soul, their Prayers would be vain, and without any good Effect. And Jesus Christ himself, saith Thomas Aquinas, cannot make happy, and save an unrepenting Soul, ut sic, that is, whilst she remains in Sin; for there is a contradiction between to be happy and remain in Sin; between to be saved, and to be unrepenting; Except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. Therefore by a contrary consequence, if ye repent, ye shall be saved, and therefore in a true and sincere Repentance consists the Salvation of all Men.

Dear Friends! have mercy upon your Souls; be careful to preserve them, for they are infinitely more to be valued than all the things in the World besides, because they are made after the Image of God. For it was God, that breathed into Man the Breath [Page] of Life, as ye may read in the 2. Ch. of Genesis. Now God being of the greatest excellency, the more any thing is like him, the more it is to be valued. But it is certain, that no Creature upon Earth is at all like God but the Soul of Man, and therefore nothing ought to have so much of your care.

As for your Bodies, ye ought to imploy them for His Majesty's Service, for the defence of your Country, for the maintainance of your Wives and Children, for the Glory of your Nation, and for the preservation of your Properties and Liberties, and especially of your Religion, which ought to be dearer to you than your Lives; ye ought not to be afraid to be wounded, nor even to be killed, for it is appointed to all men once to die, and there is nothing more glorious than to die for these aforesaid considerations. Horatius, Scevola, and [Page] several others brave and generous Men, so much renowned in the Roman History, did willingly give their Lives for the Service of their Princes, and for the preservation of their Country.

I speak only of your Souls, and of the great care ye are to take of them, for if ye once lose them, they are lost for ever. If ye had two Souls, in losing one, ye could save the other, but ye have but one, and if ye be so unhappy as to lose it, this loss cannot be recovered. I grant ye cannot lose your Souls in one sense, that is, so lose them, that they shall cease to be; but ye may lose them in another, that is, ye may lose that happy Estate, to which they were created, and plunge them into the extremest misery. In a word, ye may lose them in Hell, whence there is no fetching them back, and so they are lost for ever.

[Page] Take then care of your Souls, at least as much as ye do of your Bodies. For, when your Bodies are out of Order; as soon as ye are sick or wounded, presently ye call for the Physician and Surgeon. But when your Souls are sick, wounded by Sin, and infected with several spiritual Distempers, ye do not care to cure them by repenting of your Sins. Nevertheless, if ye do not repent, ye shall perish for ever; ye look upon Death, as if it was very far from you; and, perhaps, at this very moment in one of these Ships, that are here at anchor, there is some body dead without repenting of his Sins; and if so, his Soul is lost for ever. Think seriously of this, and make a good use of this first instruction I give you to day; obey the exhortations, threatnings, and commandments of Jesus Christ our Lord and Redeemer. Behold, saith St. Austin, with what care and [Page] diligence an unhappy Lover obeys his Mistresses Commandments. He had rather disoblige every body than displease her. The only thing he fears, is to hear these dreadful words, be gone, I will see thee no more. A naughty Woman saith, I will see thee no more, if thou doest not what I command thee; and that frights him so much, that he is forced to obey. And Jesus Christ, who gave his life for our Salvation, saith unto us, if ye do not repent of your Sins, ye shall be separated from my face, ye shall eternally perish, and be cast into Hell-fire for ever; and we will not obey. Are we not afraid to hear him saying? Be gone, I will see you no more; depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his Angels. That we may not hear these terrible and dreadful words, let us obey Jesus Christ, and repent [Page] of our Sins; for except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

The End of the First Sermon.

Second Sermon against Swearing.

[Page]

‘Above all things, my brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath, but let your yea, be yea, and your nay, nay; lest you fall into condemnation,’James 5. 12.

IF any Man offends not in Words, saith St. James, the same is a perfect Man, and able also to bridle the whole Body. Behold, we put Bridles in the Horses Mouth, that they may obey us, and we turn about their whole Body. Behold also the Ships, which, though they be so great, and driven of fierce Winds, yet are they turned [Page] about with a very small Helm, whether soever the Governour listeth. Even so the Tongue is a little Member, and boasts great things; behold how great a matter a little Fire kindles; and the Tongue is a Fire, a World of Iniquity, it is an unruly Evil, full of deadly Poison, therewith we bless God, and therewith we curse Men, made after the Similitude of God; out of the same Mouth proceeds Blessing and Cursing.

Divine Providence confined us together, within the narrow Limits of a Ship, wherein we have time enough to edifie one another by our Tongues. God does daily present us with several Subjects of Godly Discourse; for how many Experiences of extraordinary Mercies and Preservations have we to relate one to another, and bless the Lord for? What Heavenly Imployment is there for our Tongues? We should call upon one another, [Page] and say as David, come hither, and I will tell you, what God has done for my Soul, at such a time, and in such an extremity. We should call upon one another to pay the Vows our Lips have uttered in our Distress. Thus we should provoke one another, as one lively Bird sets the whole Flock a Chearping. But if a Man should come aboard, and ask of us, as Christ did of these two Disciples going to Emmaus, what manner of Communication is this, that ye have in your Ship one with another? What sad account would he have from most of us? It may be he should find one Jesting, another Swearing, another reviling Godliness, and even the Professors of it. This is the case with most of Seamen, I say most of Seamen, for there are some, mongst them, that live Soberly and Godly, and know how to rule their Tongues. Above all things, my Brethren, Swear not, neither by Heaven, neither by the [Page]Earth, neither by any other Oath, but let your yea, be yea, and your nay, nay; lest ye fall into condemnation. These words will give me occasion to shew you two things, which shall make the two parts of my Discourse; that there are two sorts of Oaths or Swearing; one Lawful, whereby God is Glorified, and which sometimes we ought to make use of; and another Profane, whereby [...]od is highly offended, and which we ought to avoid. The lawful Oath will be the first part of my Discourse; and the Profane will be the second.

First Part, An Oath is an Invocation to God, or an Appeal to him, as a Witness of the Truth of what we say. So that in case that which we Swear, be not True; we, if not expresly, at least virtually invoke God as a Judge and Avenger.

There are two sorts of Oaths, one Assertory, and the other Promissory; an Assertory Oath is, when [Page] we Swear and Certifie, that that thing which is in question, is so as we say, and a Promissory Oath is, when we promise by Oath some thing that is future; and if our Promise be made directly and immediately to God, 'tis called a Vow; if to a Man, an Oath. This being supposed, and very true.

I say with Dr. Tollotson, late Archbishop of Canterbury, that an Oath is not only Lawful, but also is sometimes necessary, as when Men's Estates are concerned, and no Evidence can be had to decide and clear the matter, but what is assured by Oath. Then it is necessary to make an end of, and decide the Controversie; as it appears by these Words of St. Paul in the sixth Chapter of his Epistle to the Hebrews; an Oath, saith he, for Confirmation is an end of Strife.

And its Lawfulness appears by several Texts of the Holy Scripture, wherein God, who is Truth [Page] it self, and cannot lye, and consequently might be believed of Men upon his bare Word, and without necessity of making an Oath; yet to confirm his Promises, is willing to take it. For when God made his promises to Abraham, because he could not swear by a greater, he swore by himself, God willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath, Heb. 6. 17. Therefore if God himself Swears, and takes an Oath, why shall it not be Lawful to Men to take an Oath in dubious Matters, and of great Concerns, and when no Evidence can be had to decide and clear them.

Was not Mephibosheth spared because of the Lord's Oath, that was between them, between David and Jonathan the Son of Saul, as ye may read, 2 Sam. 21. 17. Did not the Law of Moses, in many cases require them? Does not Moses [Page] make use of them, when he speaks thus. I call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land, whereunto you go over Jordan to possess it. Does not St. Paul use them oftentimes? As when he saith, God is my Witness, I call God for a Record upon my Soul; before God I lie not; which Oath St. Paul, who was to teach the Precepts of Christ to others, should not have used, if they had been unlawful, and forbidden in the Holy Scriptures.

And Christ himself, as we may Read in the 26th Chap. of St. Matthew, did not refuse it, when the High Priest asked him to answer upon his Oath, whether he was the Son of God. I adjure thee, saith the High Priest, by the living God, that thou tell us, whether thou be the Christ the Son of God. And Jesus said unto him, thou hast said.

[Page] Therefore, since Jesus Christ himself does Answer, when he is adjured upon Oath; and St. Paul oftentimes called God to witness, for the Confirmation of what he saith; seeing David, and several others in the Old Testament, and God himself, who cannot give us a bad Example, used it for the Confirmation of his Promises, it is a clear and evident Sign, that it is Lawful; and that we are to explain these Words of St. Matthew, swear not at all; as also those of my Text, above all things my brethren, swear not. They ought to be interpreted, not generally, but in a limited Sense, as only forbidding Swearing in common Conversation, and in our ordinary Commerce and Affairs; as it appears by these words immediately following, viz. Let your communication be yea, yea, and nay, nay; for whatsoever is more than these comes of evil.

[Page] From whence it follows, though Swearing and Oaths ought to be avoided in our Conversations, because they are then so many Sins, yet there is a time, as when the Matter is doubtful, and of Concern, and no Evidence can be had to clear and decide it, when they are not only Lawful, but also very necessary. The Corruption of humane Nature has made Man such a false and fickle Creature, that his single Testimony cannot be sufficient Security for another, especially in weighty Cases; and therefore in Swearing he calls God for a Witness of the Truth of what he saith, and affirms.

Now this calling, or asking a Testimony from God, makes an Oath become a part of God's Worship, and gives him a great deal of Honour and Glory. For hereby he that Swears, acknowledges, 1. His Omnisciency. 2. His infallible Truth. and 3. His Righteousness. [Page] He acknowledges his Omnisciency; for by his Appeal to him, he acknowledges him to be the searcher of Hearts and Reins, and that he knows the secret intents and meaning of our Spirits. He acknowledges also his infallible Truth; for this is manifestly carried in his Oath, that though he be a false and deceitful Creature, and his Affirmation cannot obtain universal and full Evidence, yet he that is greater than he, by whose Name he Swears, cannot deceive. And lastly, he acknowledges his Righteousness; for he that Swears, does either expresly or implicitly put himself under the Curse and Wrath of God, if he Swears falsly.

Therefore ye see that there is an Oath, or Swearing, which is not only Lawful, where the Matter is of Concern, and cannot be cleared and decided but by Oath; but also necessary, and conducing to the Glory of God. But there is an other Oath [Page] Profane, whereby God is highly offended, and which we ought to avoid in our conversation; and this I will shew in the second part of my Discourse.

2. Part. Idle words, and unprofitable talk, which are not referred to the glory of God, are to be avoided in our conversation; because we are to give an account of them in the dreadful day of Judgment, according to these words of St. Matthew, every idle word, that Men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of Judgment. And though this common evil be little regarded by Men, yet it is a Sin of a greater importance, than we can imagine.

First, Because by idle and unprofitable words, we abuse and pervert our tongue from that imployment, and use, which God by the Law of Creation had designed to. God did not give us the power of Speech (which is our [Page] excellency above the Beasts) to serve a vain humour, and talk foolishly; but to extol and magnifie our Creator, and render him the praise for all his admirable Works, and infinite Mercies every day bestowed upon us. This was the end of God in giving us a Tongue; and we do commonly imploy it in dishonoring him that made it.

Secondly, by idle and unprofitable words we waste our precious time, which is but a little Spot between two Eternities, either of felicity, or misery. God turns about these glorious Celestial Bodies over our Heads in a constant revolution, to beget time for us; and the preciousness of every minute thereof results from its use; and therefore great things depend upon it, and no less than our eternal Happiness or Misery. What an evil then is it to us, to waste it away to no purpose, in our idle and unprofitable [Page] talking? which Sin is the more dangerous, because few are sensible of it: Other Sins, as Murder, Adultery, and Theft, are seldom committed, because they are horrible; and when they are committed, then Conscience is startled at the horridness of them; few, except they be profligate Wretches, dare make light of them; but for the idle and vain words, there are innumerable Swarms of them every day, and few regard them.

Thirdly, they have mischievous effects upon others; for, an idle word, or foolish Jest sticks long time in Men's mind, and becomes an occasion of Sin to them; for our foolish words may be working in the minds of our Companions, when we are laid in the Dust, or committed to the deep. And thus, though we be dead, yet we may be sinning in the Persons of our Companions. These are the bad effects of idle, unprofitable and foolish [Page] words, and why we ought to avoid them in our conversation.

But if idle and foolish words ought to be carefully avoided, we ought with a greater reason to avoid vain Swearing, and Profane Oaths, since God is highly offended thereby.

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain, for the Lord will not hold him guiltless, that takes his name in vain. These words should be sufficient to hinder any Man from Swearing, or from any Profane Oath, because God has forbidden it, and declared him guilty, that takes his Name in vain. But that I may deter Men from Swearing, or Profane Oaths, let them consider.

First, If the Heathens durst not use the name of their Idols, for fear the Earth should tremble, and swallow them up alive; shall the Sacred and Dreadful Name of the True God be Profaned by Christian [Page] Tongues, and not afraid that God will be avenged for their frequent Abuses of his Holy Name? In the old Law, he that took the Name of God in vain, was Stoned to Death. If this Law were now put in Execution, how many thousands should we see Stoned every day? Or rather how should we hear Men Swearing for fear of being Stoned? for the fear of Punishment, even when it is but small, if put in Execution, would be able to restrain them.

2. It is a Sin which God has severely threatened, and punished with temporal and corporal Plagues. For, by reason of Oaths, saith the Prophet, Isaiah 42. 3. The land mourns, and every one that dwells therein languishes. That is, it brings the heavy Judgment of God upon whole Nations, under which they shall Mourn. And in Zachariah there is a flying Role of [Page] Curses upon them that Swear; a flying Role, to denote the swifness of it; for it flies, saith the same Prophet, towards the House of the Swearer, and it shall therein remain, and shall consume it with the Timber thereof, and the Stones thereof; that is, it shall bring an utter Ruine and Destruction to his House. Wo to that wretched Family, into which this flying Role enters; wo to the Inhabitants thereof▪

3. Profane Oaths bring spiritual Plagues upon us; they bring Hell along with them; and if we be not afraid to Sin, certainly we should be afraid to Burn. If the Love of God can work nothing upon our Souls, his Threatnings should startle and affright us. Let us consider those Texts of the Holy Scripture, and unless God has lost all his Authority with us, they ought certainly to make us afraid.

The first, are the Words of my Text, Above all things, my brethren, [Page]swear not, neither by heaven, neither by the earth, neither by any other oath, but let your yea, be yea, and your nay, nay; lest you fall into condemnation. Consider this Text seriously. I think it should be like the Fingers, that came forth and wrote upon the Wall that dreadful Sentence, that changed the Countenance of a King, and made his Knees smite together. Above all things, that is, above all other Vices, avoid Swearing; but let your yea, be yea, and your nay, nay; that is, accustom your selves to short and plain Affirmations, and Negations; lest you fall into condemnation; that is, lest for these things the Judge of Heaven and Earth should pass a Sentence of Condemnation to Hell upon you. O Men! dare ye then from henceforth commit such a hainous Sin as Swearing; seeing it will bring you under God's Judgment and Condemnation? Did you never see a poor [Page] Malefactor Tryed at the Assizes, and observe how his Face grows pale, how his Legs Tremble, and how Death displayes his Colours in his Cheeks, when Sentence is given upon him? But what is that to God's Condemnation? What is a Gallows to Hell?

The other Text is this; the Lord will not hold him guiltless, that takes his name in vain. Now, what does God mean, when he saith, he will not hold him guiltless? The meaning is plain, that is, his Swearings and prophane Oaths shall be reckoned to him, and he shall be bound to Answer God for them.

The last Reason, which obliges you to avoid Swearing and prophane Oaths, is, that the custom of vain and prophane Oaths, is as plain a discovery of an unregenerate Soul, as any in the World. This is a sure sign ye are none of God's Children, nor have any thing to do with his Heavenly Promises. [Page] For, by this, the Scripture distinguishes the State of Saints and Sinners. This Fruit of the Tongue plainly shews what the Tree is that bears it. The vile Person, saith the Prophet Isaiah, will speak of villany, and out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. Loquere, ut te videam, speak, that I may see what you are. What is in the Heart, is vented by the Tongue; when the Treasures of Grace are in the Hearts, then good and Holy Words will be in the Lips. The Mouth of the Righteous, saith David, speaks Wisdom. By thy words, saith Christ, thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be Condemned. We use to say, such Witnesses Hanged a Man; the meaning is, the Evidence they gave, did Cast and Condemn him. If the words do Evidence the State of the Soul, what a wofull State these Souls must needs be in, whose Mouths overflow with Swearing, profane Words and Curses? How [Page] many Witnesses will be brought in, to cast them in the great day?

Wherefore, that ye may not fall into such a misfortune, avoid vain Swearing, and Profane Oaths, whereby God is so highly offended; which he has punish'd with both temporal and spiritual Plagues; which are a plain discovery of an unregenerate Soul; and which God will bring to condemnation.

And that ye may leave that bad, and ugly custom, wherein there is neither profit nor pleasure; consider, that if every idle word that Men shall speak, they shall give an account thereof in the day of judgment, how much more then, for immodest, obscene, filthy Words, profane Oaths, and Bloody Blasphemies. Before ye speak, weigh and ponder your words; beg of God to guide your Tongues, and every day say with David, set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, and keep thou the door of my lips. [Page] Labour to get your hearts cleansed, and purified; make the tree good, and then his fruit will be good also. A holy heart will produce holy words: Consider also that no Man is the better lookt upon for his filthy words, and vain, bloody, profane Oaths; but on the contrary loses his esteem among all them, that have any sense or virtue; and even among them, that are wicked, and great Swearers too. If there was any punishment put in Execution upon them, that Swear, and take the Sacred Name of God in vain; they would certainly forbear that horrid and unprofitable Sin. For I observed, when I was in Holland, that, because there was so much Mony to be payed by every one, that did Swear, I never heard there any Man taking the Name of God in vain; though I were several times in the Company of above Forty Men together drinking in Taverns [Page] and Coffee-houses. And I took notice also in the Ships, where I have served; that, when the Captain ordered the Collar, which is a piece of wood of about Fifty Pounds weight, to be worn by the Sea-men, that were heard Swearing, then no Profane Oath was scarce heard that day. If a small parcel of Mony to be put in a box, and given to the Poor in Holland; and if the pain and shame of wearing a Collar in the Ships, be able to make Men abstain from Swearing; why shall not the punishment of Hell, and of an eternal Damnation threatned to them, that take God's Name in vain, have such a Power over them? Certainly they do not believe such a thing. For if they were convinced of that Truth, or that there is an avenging God; or that their Souls are Immortal; or that the Holy Scripture was certainly revealed of God, and the Threatnings therein contained against [Page] Swearers shall be put in Execution in the great and fearful day of Judgment; without doubt they would hereafter forbear from Swearing, and taking God's Name in vain. And that they may be perswaded of these Truths, I intend to publish three other Sermons; the first to God's Existence; the second of the Immortality of our Souls, and the third of the certainty of the holy Scriptures; for the Reason, why Men do continue in their Sins, is because they are not utterly and fully convinced of these important and necessary Truths. Above all things, my Brethren, swear not, neither by Heaven, neither by the Earth, neither by any other Oath, but let your yea, be yea, and your nay, nay; lest you fall into condemnation.

The End of the Second Sermon.

Third Sermon against Drunkeness.

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[Page]

‘Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess,’Ephes. 5. 16.

THE Sparthans brought their Children to loath Wine, by shewing them a Drunkard, whom they gazed at as a Monster; and Tertullian saith of the Primitive Christians, they drank no more than was sufficient for temperate Men: they did so eat and drink, as those that remembred they ought to pray afterwards. But now amongst those that profess Christianity, how ordinarily is this Sin committed, but especially by Sea-men. Some of them have gone aboard drunk, and laid the foundation of their Voyage in that Sin; and though they knew not, whether [Page] they should ever see again the Land of their Nativity, yet this was the farewel they took, this was their preparation; and so in their return, notwithstanding the terrible and astonishing works of the Lord, which they have beheld with their eyes; and their marvellous preservations in so great and terrible extremities. Yet assoon as they were ashore, they went into Ale-houses, there drowning the sense of God's precious Mercies and Deliverances in their Drunken Cups.

I grant, that there is a lawful use of Wine and strong Drink to support Nature, not to clog it; to cure Infirmities, not to cause them; Drink no longer water, but use a little wine, for thy stomachs sake, and thine infirmities, saith St. Paul in his Epistle to Timothy 5. 23. God allows us Wine, and other strong Liquor, not only for bare necessity, but for chearfulness also; [Page] that our Bodies may be the more fit for our Imployments. But to drink Wine, or other strong Liquor until we be inflamed, and our reason disturbed, is that which St. Paul forbids us in the words of my Text, Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess. For, saith the Prophet Isaiah, 5. 11. Wo to them, that rise early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink, that continue until night, till wine inflame them. And that I may deter Men from this horrible and so common a Sin, and keep a method. I will divide this Discourse into two parts, in the first I will shew them the reasons, why they ought to forsake that Sin; and in the second I will answer to their objections.

1. Part. The first reason, which ought to make us avoid the excess of Wine, or any other strong Liquor, is, because we are thereby equalized to the Beasts that perish; for the excess of Wine takes away [Page] the Wisdom and Ingenuity of Men, and so brutifies them, as Nebuchadnezzar, who had the heart of a Beast given him. The heart of a Man hath generosity, and brave vigorous Spirits capable of, and fitted for noble and worthy actions and imployments; but immoderate drinking enervates, quenches, and drowns this brave noble viguor. For, no sooner is a Man brought under the dominion of Wine, but he loses the Government of his Reason; and so becomes like a Beast either wallowing in the mire, or presently falling asleep as a sot and stupid; or swearing and quarrelling as one that is stark mad, and has lost the use of his Reason. God put all the Creatures in subjection to Men, but by immoderate drinking Men put themselves in subjection to Wine, and are brought under its Dominion and Power. St. Austin calls the excess of Wine a distemper of [Page]the head, a subversion of the senses, a tempest in the tongue, a storm of the body, the Ship-wrack of vertue, the loss of time, a wilfull Madness, a pleasant Devil, a sugared Poison, a sweet Sin, which he that has, has not himself; and he, that commits it, doth not only commit Sin, but he himself is altogether in Sin. It is a Sin, which much degrades a Man, by equalizing him to a Beast, and the vilest of Beasts, a Swine, which wallows in the mire.

The second reason, why Men are to avoid the excess of Wine, is because of its several bad effects. For Drunkeness wasts and scatters Men's Estates, and brings them to Poverty. The Drunkard shall be cloathed with rags, and brought to a morsel of bread. He that loves wine and oyl shall not be rich, saith Solomon, Prov. 21. 17. And in the 23. 21. he tells us, that the Drunkard and glutton shall surely come to Poverty; for Drunkeness doth not [Page] only dispossess a Man of his Reason, which is a rich and fair Inheritance given to him by God; but it also deprives him of his Estate, and wasts all that either the provident care of his Parents, or the blessing of God upon his own industry has obtained for him.

And not to mention here the miseries and sorrows he brings thereby upon his Family, drinking the Tears, yea the Blood of his poor Wife, and helpless Children; I will only take notice of several Diseases, which are begotten by the excess in drinking strong Liquors. For, hence come Apoplexies, Gouts, Palsies, sudden Death, Trembling of the Hands and Legs, and as the Proverb saith, Plures occidit Gula quàm gladius, that is, Drunkeness kills more than the Sword. O! what a terrible thing will it be to consider upon a Death-bed, that these pangs and aches are the fruits of our Intemperance [Page] and excess. Who has wo? saith Solomon; who has sorrow? who has contention? who has babling? who has wounds without cause? who has redness of eyes? They that tarry long at wine, they that go to seek mixt wine, Prov. 23. 29, 30. By this enumeration and manner of interrogation the wise Man seems to make it a difficult thing to recount the miseries and distempers, that Drunkeness brings upon us. For as Vermin abounds, where there is store of corn; so do the Diseases in the Bodies of Drunkards, where crudities and ill humours do continually abound.

Drunkeness, saith Origenes, is the fore-runner of all vices. The Drunkard is commonly quarrelsome, always slow to any thing that is good, and prone to all Evil. He speaks and does whatsoever the Devil suggests to him, be it never so obscene and ridiculous. And when he is Drunk, he never considers [Page] that the end of his Drunkeness is Confusion, Quarrel, Riot, Sedition, and that the pleasant taste of the Liquor will prove in the end, like the sting of a Serpent, his utter ruine and destruction.

Of all things to be lamented amongst us this is most lamentable, that of all sorts of Men there is none more prone to this Vice than Sea-men, when they are ashoar with their Pockets full of Mony: Should they be so blinded, that nothing can hinder them from bringing themselves and their Families to ruine, for the satisfying of their Appetites. But let them hear what God saith unto them. Wo be unto you that are full, for ye shall hunger; and the Apostle St. Paul saith, that such are excluded of the Kingdom of Heaven. Drunkeness, saith St. Gregory, is a flattering Devil, a sweet Poison, a pleasant Sin, and whosoever is under the raigning Power of this Sin, is wholly in Sin, and[Page]makes him forget God his Creator. The Truth of this is manifest in Noah, who never forgat God, till he was Drunk. This only Sin is recorded in Holy Writ against him, whereby he gained a perpetual Infamy.

But how much more infamous must their condemnation be, who by their often reiteration of Drunkeness, make it not only customary, but almost natural, and even boast and glory in their Shame. But let all such know, that Almighty God sees their Abominations, and will surely pour upon them the Cup of his vengeance without mixture, unless they come to him by unfeigned Repentance. But this may be a good warning to them that are guilty of Drunkeness, to beware of over drinking themselves. For, suppose this Drunken fit continue but for a while; yet in that time, before the recovery of their reason, they may either [Page] act or speak what they may repent of. They may kill a Friend, as several have done in their Glasses; and so bring themselves under the lash of the Law to the loss of their Lives and Fortunes, and perpetual Ignominy both of their Families and Relations. But if any Man think, he may drink much, and yet keep the perfect use of his Senses and Reason, he may as well suppose, that, when he has drunk Poison, he shall not be prejudiced thereby. Ye see that Drunkeness does not only waste and scatter our Estate, bringing us to Poverty and Misery, but also produce several other bad Effects.

The third Reason, which obliges us to avoid Drunkeness, is because it is a leading Sin, which has a great retinue & attendance of other Sins waiting on it. It is like a sudden Land-flood, which brings a great deal of dirt with it. So that, as Faith excels amongst Graces [Page] and Virtues, because it enlivens and gives strength unto them; so is Drunkeness amongst other Sins. It is not so much a particular Sin against a single Commandment of God, as a general violation of the whole Law; for it warms and quickens all our Lusts and Passions, and so exposes us to every Sin. It gives occasion, yea is the real cause of many contentions, and fatal Quarrels and Murthers, which are the ordinary effects of drunken Meetings; for, when Reason is lost, and Lust heated, what will not drunken Men then attempt? Numquam ego Ebrium castum putabo, saith St. Hierome, that is, I will never think a Drunkard to be chast. And Solomon, speaking of a drunken Man, saith, Prov. 23. 33. Thine eyes shall behold a strange Woman, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. This Sin is well called the Devils bridle; because thereby he turns the Sinner [Page] which way he pleases. Drunkeness is so horrid a Sin, that it deprives us of the Kingdom of Heaven. Be not deceived, saith St. Paul, 1 Cor. 6. 9, 10. neither Fornicators, nor Idolaters, nor Adulterers, nor Effeminate, nor Abusers of themselves with mankind, nor Thieves, nor Covetous, nor Drunkards, shall inherit the Kingdom of God. Certainly he is not asleep, but dead, who is not startled at these words; how are Drunken Men able to face such a Text as this? Think, when Wine sparkles in the Glass, what a Cup of Wrath is in the hand of the Lord for thee. Thou wilt not now believe this, but the day will come, when thou shalt know the Price of these Brutish Pleasures, except thou dost timely forsake them.

Time is allowed us by God to work out our Salvation, and therefore every minute of it ought to be most thriftily husbanded to [Page] that end; but when it is laid out in immoderate Drinking, then it tends to the working of our Eternal Damnation. Besides, he that Drinks immoderately, tho' he escape being Drunk himself, is yet guilty of all the Drunkenness and Sins that any of his Company falls under; for, he gives them encouragement to Drink on by his example, especially if he be one of any Authority: But, if he be one whose Company the rest are fond of; his Company is then a certain ensnaring of them; for, then they will Drink too, rather than disoblige, or lose him. There is yet a greater fault that many of these Stronger brain-drinkers are guilty of, that is, the setting themselves purposely to make others Drunk, playing, as it were, a Prize at it, and counting it matter of Triumph and Victory to see others fall before them. This is a most horrid Wickedness; it [Page] is the making our selves the Devil's Factors; endeavouring, as much as we can, to draw our poor Brethren into eternal Misery, by betraying them to so grievous a Sin: Therefore it may be well reckoned as the highest step of this Vice of Drinking, as having in it the Sin of mischieving others, added to the excess in our selves. And though it be lookt upon in the World, as a matter of jest only, to make others Drunk, that we may sport our selves with their ridiculous Behaviour; yet that Mirth will have a sad conclusion, there being a Woe expresly threatned to that very Sin; Wo unto him, saith St. Paul, that gives his Neighbour drink, and maketh him drunk.

I have now gone through the several Motives and Reasons, which do oblige us to avoid Drunkenness. It is a Sin so strangely raigning amongst us, that no Condition, [Page] no Age, or scarce Sex, is free from it, to the great dishonour of God, reproach of Christianity, and ruin, not only of our Souls hereafter, but even of all our present advantages, and happiness in this Life; there being no Sin, which betrays each single committer to more mischiefs, in his Understanding, his Health, his Credit, and Estate, than this one doth; and we have reason to believe this Sin is one of those common crying guilts, which have long laid heavy upon this Nation, and pulled down those many sad Judgments we have groaned under.

Therefore, let me now intreat you by all that tenderness and love ye ought to have to the Honour of God, the Credit of your Christian Religion, eternal Welfare of your own Souls, the Prosperity of the Church and Nation whereof ye are Members; nay, by that love, which certainly ye have to [Page] your own temporal Interest, to think seriously on what has been spoken. Ye have heard the reasons why Men ought to avoid the excess of Wine, and other strong Liquois; now let us answer to their Objections, which is the second part of my Discourse.

2. Part, The first and most owned is that which they call good Fellowship; one Man drinks to keep another Company at it: But I would ask such a one, whether, if that Man were Drinking rank Poison, he would pledge him for Company; if he says he would not, I must tell him, that by the very same, nay far greater reason, he is not to do this; for, immoderate Drinking is that very Poison: Perhaps it doth not always work Death presently, but the custom of it does usually bring Men to their ends; and therefore, though the Poison work slowly, yet it is still Poison. But however [Page] it doth at the present work, that which a wise Man would more abhor than Death, it works Madness and Frenzy, turns the Man into a Beast, by drawing his Reason, which should difference him from one.

The Second is, say they, the chearing of their Spirits, making them Merry and Jolly; but sure, if the Mirth be such, that reason must be turn'd out of door, I may say with Solomon, Eccles. 2. 2. The laughter of such fools is madness. For, they that will be Drunk to put themselves in this temper, must, by the same reason, be glad of a Frenzy; if they could but be sure it would be of the merry Sort. But, little do these merry Drinkers think, what sadness they are all this while heaping up to themselves, often in this World, when by some mad Pranks they bring mischief upon themselves; but however, certainly in the other, [Page] where this Mirth will be sadly reckon'd for.

A Third Objection of theirs is, the putting away of Cares; but I ask what these Cares are? Perhaps they are some checks and remorses of Conscience, which must be thus charmed. But it is a gross mistake, if we think to lay them down that way; we may indeed thus stop them for a while, but they will one day cry the louder for it. Suppose a Thief or a Murderer knew he were pursued to be brought to Justice, would he, to put away the fear of being hang'd, fall to Drinking, and in the mean time take no Care for his Escape? or would we not think him desperately Mad, if he did? This is the very Case here; our Consciences tell us of our Danger, that we must e're long be brought before God's Judgment-Seat; and is it not Madness for us, instead of endeavouring to get our Pardon, to drink away the thought [Page] of our danger? But suppose these Cares be some Worldly ones, and such as are fit to be put away; then for shame let us not so disgrace our Reason and Christianity, as to rid us of them by so pitiful and disgraceful a way. But besides, this will not do the deed neither; for tho' it may at present, whil'st we are in the heighth of our Drunken fits, keep us from the sense of our Cares; yet, when our Drinking is over, they will return again with greater violence; and if we have any Conscience, bring a new Care with them, even that which arises from the guilt of so foul a Sin.

The Fourth is said to be the passing away of time; but this Objection is, in many, a very false plea, for they often spend their time at the Pots, not only when they have nothing to do, but even to the neglect of their most necessary Business. However, it is in all a most unreasonable [Page] excuse; for there is no Man but he may find some what or other to imploy himself in. If he have little worldly Business of his own, he may yet do somewhat to the benefit of others; but however, there is no Man but has a Soul, and if he will look carefully to that, he need not complain for want of Business, where there are so many Corruptions to mortifie, so many Inclinations to watch over, so many Temptations (whereof this of Drunkeness is not the least) to resist; the Graces of God to improve and stir up, and former neglects of all these to lament. Sure there can never want sufficient Imployment, for all these require time, and so Men at their Death find; for those, that have all their Lives made it their business to drive away their Time, would then give all the World to redeem it. And certainly, where there is much leisure for worldly Affairs, God expects [Page] to have the more time imployed in spiritual Exercises. And it concerns them to imploy their time to the benefit of their Souls, and not to bestow it to the Ruine of them; as they do, who spend it in Drinking.

The last Objection, is that of Bargaining. They say it is necessary for them to drink in this one Respect of Trading with their Neighbours, Bargains being most conveniently to be struck up in Ale-houses and Taverns. But is this a worse Reason than all the others. For the bottom of it is an aim of Cheating; for we think, when Men are in Drink, we shall the better be able to over-reach them; and so this adds the Sin of Defrauding to that of Drunkenness. Now that this is indeed the Intent, is manifest; for, if only the dispatch of Bargains were aimed at, we should chuse to take Men with their Wits about them▪ therefore the taking them when [Page] strong Liquor has distempered their Reason, can be for nothing but to make Advantage of them. Yet this often proves a great Folly as well as Sin; for he that Drinks with an other in hope to over-reach him, does many times prove the weaker Brained, and becomes Drunk first; and then he gives the other that opportunity of cheating him, which he designed for the cheating of the other. Now this end of Drinking, is so far from becoming an Excuse, that it is an increasing of the Sin; for, if we are not to drink immoderately upon any occasion, much less upon so wicked an one as is the Cheating and Defrauding our Brethren. See the whole Duty of Man.

I have now Answered to the chiefest Drunkards Objections, which are ordinarily brought in excuse of this Sin. I am yet further to tell you, that it is not only that huge degree of Drunkenness, which makes Men able neither to go nor [Page] to speak, which is to be look'd on as a Sin; but all lower Degrees, which do at all work upon the Understanding, whether by dulling it, and making it less fit for any Imployment, or by making it too light and airy, apt to apish and ridiculous Mirth; or what is worse, by inflaming Men to Rage and Fury. These, or what ever else make any change in the Man, are to be reckoned into this Sin of Drunkenness. I have given you the Reasons why ye are to avoid the Excess in Drinking, and answered also to the Drunkards Objections. Pray make a good use of this Instruction, be not drunk with wine, nor with any other strong liquor, wherein is excess.

FINIS.

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Title statement

Rome tyrannical, idolatrous and heretical the origine of her errors with an answer to her objections : also three short sermons of repentance against swearing and drunkenness preached to the ships company before Admiral Aylmer and several captains / by Peter Berault.

Berault, Peter.

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1698

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2008-09 (EEBO-TCP Phase 1).

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A27449

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Wing B1956

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ESTC R30222

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11271374

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47218

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— Rome tyrannical, idolatrous and heretical the origine of her errors with an answer to her objections : also three short sermons of repentance against swearing and drunkenness preached to the ships company before Admiral Aylmer and several captains / by Peter Berault., Berault, Peter..

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[10], 96, 75 p.

Printed by W. Redmayne for the author,. London :: 1698.. (Reproduction of the original in the British Library.)

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Editorial practices

EEBO-TCP is a partnership between the Universities of Michigan and Oxford and the publisher ProQuest to create accurately transcribed and encoded texts based on the image sets published by ProQuest via their Early English Books Online (EEBO) database (http://eebo.chadwyck.com). The general aim of EEBO-TCP is to encode one copy (usually the first edition) of every monographic English-language title published between 1473 and 1700 available in EEBO.

EEBO-TCP aimed to produce large quantities of textual data within the usual project restraints of time and funding, and therefore chose to create diplomatic transcriptions (as opposed to critical editions) with light-touch, mainly structural encoding based on the Text Encoding Initiative (http://www.tei-c.org).

The EEBO-TCP project was divided into two phases. The 25,363 texts created during Phase 1 of the project have been released into the public domain as of 1 January 2015. Anyone can now take and use these texts for their own purposes, but we respectfully request that due credit and attribution is given to their original source.

Users should be aware of the process of creating the TCP texts, and therefore of any assumptions that can be made about the data.

Text selection was based on the New Cambridge Bibliography of English Literature (NCBEL). If an author (or for an anonymous work, the title) appears in NCBEL, then their works are eligible for inclusion. Selection was intended to range over a wide variety of subject areas, to reflect the true nature of the print record of the period. In general, first editions of a works in English were prioritized, although there are a number of works in other languages, notably Latin and Welsh, included and sometimes a second or later edition of a work was chosen if there was a compelling reason to do so.

Image sets were sent to external keying companies for transcription and basic encoding. Quality assurance was then carried out by editorial teams in Oxford and Michigan. 5% (or 5 pages, whichever is the greater) of each text was proofread for accuracy and those which did not meet QA standards were returned to the keyers to be redone. After proofreading, the encoding was enhanced and/or corrected and characters marked as illegible were corrected where possible up to a limit of 100 instances per text. Any remaining illegibles were encoded as <gap>s. Understanding these processes should make clear that, while the overall quality of TCP data is very good, some errors will remain and some readable characters will be marked as illegible. Users should bear in mind that in all likelihood such instances will never have been looked at by a TCP editor.

The texts were encoded and linked to page images in accordance with level 4 of the TEI in Libraries guidelines.

Copies of the texts have been issued variously as SGML (TCP schema; ASCII text with mnemonic sdata character entities); displayable XML (TCP schema; characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or text strings within braces); or lossless XML (TEI P5, characters represented either as UTF-8 Unicode or TEI g elements).

Keying and markup guidelines are available at the Text Creation Partnership web site.