GOod morrow, my half Brother in Religion.

Why, what Religion art thou of?

I am a Roman Catholick; and I call thee my half Brother, be­cause thou art a Quaker.

What Brother-hood or Re­lation can there be between a Quaker and a Papist?

O Brother! We are nearer a kin, than thou art aware of.

That's impossible, for I turnd Quaker to avoid Po­pery: for I did think the Church of England would set up Po­pery.

Nothing less, Brother; for I assure you the Pope, and all of his Perswasion, of all their Adversaries dread none so much as the Church of England: But to come to the Point, all, or most part of what you believe, you have from us; for though I am a Shoo-maker, and work at my Trade, I am for all that a Priest, and am sometimes a Quaker, and Preach up your Reli­gion, as I have done several times at Bristol.

What should be your Reason to endeavour to set up our Religion?

To make you turn Papist, as you call us.

This is a strange Riddle to me, pray unfold it.

That I intend to do; We must do what we can to cry down the Bible, for that makes clear against us; and that trick we taught you of calling the Scripture a dead Letter; Then Se­condly, we teach Free-Will to that height, that a man has Power in himself to please God, and walk uprightly: Do not you be­lieve all this, Brother?

Yea; Thus far we agree.

Do you know Cap. Everard?

Yea, He was a Godly Man before he turn'd Papist.

He never was otherwise, he was a Priest too, and com­manded by the Pope to pretend to be one of you, the better to oppose the Church of England.

Strange! Is it possible? now I am afraid I am nearer Popery, than I was aware of: Bless me! by leaving the Church of England I thought to flie from Popery; and for ought I per­cieve, I am running head-long into it.

Yes Brother, I hope to make you a good Catholick be­fore we part.

You can never do thut.

I will either do so, or confirm you where you are.

For the latter, I am content.

Have you not heard of my Lady — How she run through all Religions; from a Protestant she turn'd Presbyterian, (to avoid Popery;) there she could not rest, because there was a Church-Government, and therefore resembled too much the Church of England; and besides, she hearing there were people that Prayed and taught by the Spirit, away she goes to them: To be short, she was one while an Independent, a Quaker, and what not? Well, at last hearing that the Church of Rome had an In­fallible guide in Religion, thither she steered her Course, and there she cast Anchor, and continues a good Catholick.

I have heard of that Lady you speak of, and for that reason, and because of what I have heard you say, I love my Religion never the better for it: there is one only reason per­swades me to continue in it.

What is that?

I will tell thee, If thou wilt promise me to say no­thing of it.

I do, upon the word of a Priest.

Then I will tell thee truly; a Sister (for thou must know we call one another Brothers and Sisters) may not deny a Brother to lie with her, if the Spirit moves; for every provo­cation to that which you call Letchery, We say is Gods Spirit) nor a Brother a Sister, if the Spirit enable him.

If that be all, turn Catholick, and I will give thee a Dis­pensation to have as many Women as thou wilt, or art able to turn to, that die when thou wilt, thou art sure to go to Heaven however.

A good Argument, I confess, if thou couldst prove thy self enabled thereunto by God Almighty; but I suspect, what thou dost offer is to satisfie our Lusts and Letchery, (no matter for our Souls,) to make us subservient to your ends in this world; whereas what we do is to raise up a Holy Seed unto the Lord; so that by doing him Service, (not by Sin­ning against him) we indulge much to our own satisfaction; so that we serve him without any trouble either to the Consci­ence, or the Body: for to give a Licence for Sin is a most horrid thing; to say you have Power to Absolve for Sins past, (as the Church of England says,) is not amiss; but that you have Power to give Licence to Sin, is what I can never believe; and therefore for any thing I have yet heard from thee, I will continue as I am; therefore be one of Us, and thou shalt en­joy Multitudes of Women, without offending God.

I have the same argument to perswade thee to come to us; I can give Indulgencies that shall serve thee and thy Posteri­ty for Thousands of Years.

This is like a Doctrine of ours, that God sees not Sin in Us that are the Godly; if one of Us lie with many Women, we are then raising a Holy Seed, a Royal Priesthood; amongst the Ungodly party, this is Fornication and a Sin; the Goods of the whole World which the wicked possess, belong not to them, they are Ours of right; to dispossess them thereof is no Robbery.

We say the same, for the Pope hath power to dispose of all the Kingdoms of the Earth, to take them from the wicked, from Hereticks, Schismaticks, Idolaters, &c. and give them to true Catholicks; for those are the truly Godly party.

Bless me! where am I? I shall be a Papist I very much fear; nay, I doubt I have been one all this while.

Doubtless we are very near one another.

But I'le get further from thee if I can; but pray let me ask thee one Question; why are you a greater Enemy to the Church of England, than to all others that differ from the Church of Rome?

Because they have the resemblance of a Church, which none of you have, except the Presbyterian; and next the Church of England we dread them; and the more, because they seem to comply more with the Church of England than formerly, and be­gin to perceive it impossible to set up for themselves; for when ever they shall attempt it, the Independents will infallibly sup­plant them, as formerly; and they again, (the Independents I mean) will run into so many Sects of Religion, and Parties, that they can never subsist; but must at last be forced to submit to the Church of England, or us of Rome.

I perceive now I must be either a Protestant, or a Papist.

Without all peradventure you cannot avoid it.

I'le ee'n then turn Protestant, as I was before 1641.

By no means do so; either come strait to Us, or con­tinue a Quaker; Nay, rather than turn Protestant, I'le get thee a Dispensation from Rome to continue a Quaker; and that thou shalt not so much as go into Purgatory.

Yours is a very brave Religion, if it could hold wa­ter; but what assurance have you that God allows this?

The Infallibility of the Church.

What is that?

The truth is, we are not yet agreed amongst Our selves; for some of Us (as we Jesuites) do hold the Pope to be Infallible; that whatsoever He Decrees, We are obliged to yield unto an implicite obedience and Belief; others do place it in a General Council, the Pope presiding over it; And lastly, others in a Council only.

And so I perceive it's no where with you, with us it is; for now I will argue like a Protestant; we have Infallibility in our Church.

What is that?

The Old and New Testament; for you cannot deny it to be the Word of God.

That we cannot; but this we say: That it is but a dead Letter, without the Interpretation of the Church.

Whoop holy day! I think your Worship will turn Quaker.

No such thing, I warrant you; but to proceed, and to speak to you, as to a Protestant. All your Opposers pro­duce the Bible against you, as well as against us; What can you answer to that?

Let right take place; but by the way, this is foul play, for you to urge me to answer you as a Hydra, with so many Heads; Will you be a Papist, a Presbyterian, Independent, Qua­ker, and every thing at once? This is to be a right Jesuite indeed; but I will allow you all this advantage: I will therefore go on, as I said before, let right take place; for the Church of England has the advantage over all her Opposers above-mentioned, and over ten thousand more, if she had so many; for against you all, she has a claim to this Infallible Guide of the Word of God, with all the difficulties therein contained, explained by all Antient Fathers and Councils; against which no sober man can except. So that we have the Bible against you, and against them; and against you we have the Bible, as I said before, ex­plained, with the four first General Councils, with the Practice of those times of Purity; besides, is it not familiar with you of the Roman Church (together with all those several enemies above-named, and Opposers of the Church of England) to cry up Success, and may not Protestants make use of the same Plea, so far, especially, as it is Argumentum ad hominem? And so offer to your prospect and consideration, the miraculous Restauration of the Church of England, in the year, 1660.

You mean, the Kings Restauration.

I mean both; but we are now disputing concerning the Church, not King, of England; for though you, as being a Papist, a Priest, and a Jesuite, are an Enemy to both Church and State: But the reason I only name the Church of Englands Restauration, is, because, I conceive, God restored the King, for the Churches sake; because God knew the King would restore the Church of England, for whose sake God did restore him. Moreover, I mention the Church of England only, because God has dealt so often miraculously for her. As first, in our King Henry the Eighth his dayes, that such an occasion of Scandal [Page 50] should be given to the whole World, as well as to that King, in particular; that though he did not so very much alter the Roman Religion, yet he absolutely took away the Popes Authority, which was a miraculous step to that more exact Reformation: Which, in the second place, God did miraculously bring to pass, 2 by means of (a Child, as I may say) King Edward the Sixth. The third Miracle God did act for the Church of England, was, 3 that Queen Mary, Espoused to a King of Spain, having fully restored Popery, and butchered thousands of Protestants; yet The miracu­ [...]ous methods [...]f God, on the [...]ehalf of Eng­ [...]and, during se­ [...]e [...]al Successi­ [...]ns of time. was it not in her power, though assisted with the House of Austria (which was then in its Zenith, as I suppose now France is) to prevent the wonderfully miraculous Restauration of the Church of England, by the ever famous Queen Elizabeth; and though that Good, and Gallant Queen was in the hands of Her, and the Church of Englands Adversaries, yet did God mi­raculously preserve Her, for his Churches sake. And this Church was, likewise, in the fourth place (though indeed, not restored, yet powerfully and wonderfully) preserved, when 4 King James Succeeded to this great, and virtuous Queen. The last Miracle (I pray God this Church may need no more of 5 them) which it pleased God to shew this Church, was in the Year Sixty; though indeed three more might have been added, so as to have made this fifth the eighth; but, for brevities sake, I shall put them together. First, the Defeat of that Navy, which the 1 Spaniards called their Invincible Armad [...], in the Year, 1588. Secondly, the miraculous prevention of the Popish Conspiracy, 2 the fifth day of November; whereby, the King, His Nobles, the chief of the Gentry and Commons in Parliament, should have been blown up. The third, the true Christian Valour and Mag­nanimity 3 which appeared in his Late Majesty, on the behalf of the Church of England, (asserting her Reformation) during all His Sufferings, to the last minute of his Martyrdom. And now, Sir, I hope I have confuted you, by your own way of Argu­mentation; and now, Sir, hereafter (if you please) you may worship your great Diana of Success.

Your Successes we cannot deny; but still, I con­ceive, the Bible is not a sufficient Infallible Guide.

I think I have very well proved, by the several above­mentioned miracles, that Infallibility of the Bible is for the Church of England (as now it is established, this Year 1668. Jul.) [Page 51] against your, and all other Dissenters from the Church of Eng­land; and, in my opinion, is a great sign of her being a true Church; that she is furnished on all sides with good and sound Arguments for her defence, and offending her Adversaries; for, in the first, she opposes to you the Bible, Practice of the Primi­tive Church, the Antient Fathers, and your own modern ones; and against such as I was once, formerly; She has the same, though She have less occasion to make use of the Bible. Thus is she fur­nisht with complete Armour and Weapons. God Almighty has armed Her Cap ape, against the Devil, and all his Instruments; So that the Gates of Hell shall never be able to prevail against Her.

You have taken your Common-Prayer-Book out of the Mass.

You have your Mass out of the Jewish Liturgy.

How can that be?

Are not the Psalms of David made use of in the Mass?

They are, I confess.

They were, either all, or in part, the Jewish Liturgy.

We do confess, they were.

Then hereafter, tell us no more of our Common-Prayer being taken out of the Mass; and now we are speaking of the Jews, let me tell you, that you make use of the same Ar­guments to oppose us, that the Jews did to oppose our Saviour; they urged to our Saviour, That he was an Innovator, and that he opposed the Traditions of their Church; which (say they) had continued, from the establishment of it by God, in Moses's time. This method you observe against us, calling us Inno­vators, who are the chiefest opposers of Innovation; for our Churches endeavour is to cast off what you have Innovated in Christian Religion. Let me ask you one Question; Do not you believe, all that the Church of England believes?

We do, but we believe more.

Then, let me tell you, whatsoever in more, are Romes Superstructures, and Innovations; and ought to be rejected of all true Christians.

I doubt I have kill'd the wrong man; for I doubted not, from a Quaker, to have made you one of us; but instead of that, I have made you a Protestant; and, for ought I know, I may chance to be one too: But I will not quit the Field yet, but have more discourse with you.

With all my heart; for (me-thinks) the more I dis­course with you, the more I am enabled above my capacity, which [...] must attribute to Gods good [...] who enables me, a wea [...] [...]rument of his, to defend [...] Truth.

I [...] [...] be the Truth, I wish it may appear so; in the mean time, I shall proceed thus: Your Religion was never heard of, before [...]her ▪s time.

Is not that Argument worn thread-bare yet? But seeing you insist upon it, I shall repeat unto you, for answer, the words of a Learned Man, out of his Epistle Dedicatory to His present Majesty; the words (as I remember) are these,— ‘Since that great Miracle of Divine Providence, in your Majestie's Stilling fleet. most happy Restauration, we have seen those, who before triumphed over the Church of England, as dead; as much ex­pressing their envy at Her resurrection: Neither could it other­wise be expected, but that so sudden a recovery of Her former Lustre, would open the mouths of Her weak, but contentious Adversaries; who see Her shine in a Firmament, so much a­bove them: But it is a part of Her present Felicity, that they are ashamed of the insulting Question (What is become of your Church now?) and are driven back to their old imper­tinency (Where was your Church, before Luther?) They might as well alter the Date of it, and ask, where She was before your Majesties Restauration? For as She only suffered an Eclipse, in the late Confusions; no more did She (though of a longer stay) in the times before the Reformation; and it was Her great Honour, that She was not awakened out of it (as of old they fancied) by beating of Drums, or the rude Clamours of the People; but as She gradually regained Her Light, so was it with the Influence of Supreme Autho­rity, which has caused so close an Union and Combination of Interests between them, that the Church of England, and the Royal Family, have, like Hippocrates his Twins, both wept and rejoyced together: And nothing doth more argue the excellent constitution of our Church, than that wherein the purity of Christian Doctrine is joyned with the most hearty acknowledgment of your Majestie's Power and Supremacy—’ Thus far that learned Author; I shall add further; That if a Church Eclipsed, or unseen, shall be the destruction of it, or that there was ever any such thing, I would very fain know, where [Page 53] the Church of God was, when (it was said) the whole World was turn'd Arrian; and before our Saviour came into the world, how often was the Church of God invisible, and the Worship, or Religion appointed, utterly overthrown by Idolaters? Such as the Church of God was in those days, the same our Church was before the Reformation; and where the one was, there was the other; in Dens and Caves and in the hearts of good and Religi­ous Men, where God did receive an acceptable Sacrifice. We see; in the 19 Chap. of the first Book of the Kings, verse 10. how 1 Kings, Cap. 19. Ver. 10. invisible the Church of God was, by the expression of the Pro­phet Elias there,—I have been very jealous for the Lord God of Hosts; for the Children of Israel have forsaken thy Covenant, broken down thine Altar, and [...]in thy Prophets with the sword, and I only am left, and they seek [...] to take it away.—These were the words of a true Prophet of the Lord, to whom the Church of God was so invisible to him (though often a fore-seer and fore-teller of future contingencies) that he con­ceives himself to be the only Servant of the Lord, left upon the face of the Earth; yet in the Eighteen [...]h verse of the fore-men­tioned Chap. God tells the Prophet, Of Seven Thousand Men in Israel remaining, even all the Knees that have not bowed unto Baal; and every Mouth that hath not kist him.—Thus you see, before Luther's time, notwithstanding their invisibility (ac­cording to this of the Prophet,) God might, and no doubt, had thousands of true believers, which had not bowed their knees to your Baal of Rome; and whose Mouths had never kist him; and, no doubt, the Simile is very pat between this Baal of Jezabel's, in the Book of the Kings, and your Baal, i. e. the Pope of Rome; for, as this Baal of Jezabel was to be bowed unto, and Kissed; so is your Baal, or Pope of Rome, likewise to be bowed unto, and Kissed, (not his Face, but his Toe) even by Emperors, and Our Saviour did suffer him­self to be kissed on the Face; to witness Ju­das's betraying this Saviour of the World with a kiss. Kings, as well as by the meanest of his Worshippers and Abettors; and thus, according to the Apostle, St. Paul, in the second to the Thessalonians, Cap. 2. Ver. 4. He is an Adversary [to our Savi­our and his Holy Religion,] and exhalteth himself above, and against all that is called God, or that is Worshipped; so that He doth sit as God in the Temple of God, shewing himself that He is God. And this truth is yet more confirm'd even by your selves, by whom this Pope is called [Dominus Deus noster Papa;] and to this Pope (in your ordinary discourse, either to him, or of [Page 54] him) you attribute a Title only due to God, which is,—His Ho­liness. There be three other Texts in this same Chapter, that may very well be applyed to your Baal, or Pope, Ver. 8, 9, 11. And then shall that wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall con­sume with the Spirit of his Mouth, and shall abolish with the brightness of his coming, as it is, Ver. the 8th. For during the darkness of Superstition and Popery, (the times preceding before Luther, Calvin, and others) this Baal was Worshipped with­out controul, or visible gainsaying; the true Worshippers, those 7000. that had not bowed to him, nor Kissed him, being as in­visible, as to outward prosperity, as those 7000. in the days of Elias: But when the time came for the appearance of those glo­rious Reformers of Religion, and manners, according to Gods appointment; for to this, God alone, as it is in the Acts of the Holy Apostles, Cap. 1. Ver. 7. The Times, and the Seasons, the Father hath put into his own Hands; then did that wicked one [this Roman Baal] begin to be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the Spirit of his Mouth, and abolish with the brightness of his coming. Ver. 8. The 9. Ver. is applicable to your Baal in your false Miracles, Signs, and Lying wonders; where­by you lie in wait to deceive the Ignorant and simple. This per­son must be consumed and abolished; even him (as it is, Ver. 9.) whose coming is by the effectual working of Satan, with all Power; [the Inquisition, and their visible pretended infallibility] and Signs, and lying Wonders.—And God knows, with such Signs and lying Wonders, false Miracles, &c. Your Church is sufficiently fraught. Ver. 11. is the consequence of the former recited Verses, 8, & 9 and therefore God shall send them strong delusions, that they shall believe Lies; and this is verified every day, that many among You, (otherwise, Learned and wise e­nough,) do give themselves up to these strong delusions, giving as great credit to your Legends, as the Fables of one Winifred; &c. as to the Gospel it self; I could add upon this Subject; but I suppose, what I have already said is sufficient to evidence unto you the Errors of Your ways, and the Truth of Ours.

I confess, I am very much shaken by your Argu­ments; and the next time we meet, you may possibly ob­tain an entire Conquest over me.

I am very glad it is come to this, which is a kind of new Creation in us; God having thus produced Light out of [Page 55] Darkness: You having thus (contrary to your intent) sent me into the Bosome of the Church of England, whereinto I hope you will likewise throw your self; whereby we shall not be half, but whole Brothers; having one Father, (which is, God,) one Mother, (the Church of England,) Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the World, being our Elder Brother: In this confidence I dare call you Brother; and Dear Brother, fare you well for this time.