A LETTER TO A LADY FROM WILLIAM DARRELL Of the Society of JESUS. Wherein, He desires a CONFERENCE with the Gentleman who Writ Her a LETTER, Furnishing Her with Scripture Testimonies against the Principal Points and Doctrine of Popery
ALthough I have not the Honour to know you, I take the Freedom to Trouble your Ladyship with a Letter: And because I am Ignorant of your Lodgings, I have desir'd the Hawkers to find them out. The occasion of giving my Self the Trouble of Writing, and you of Reading this Leaf; came from a Pamphlet which took the Name of a Letter; though it deserves rather that of a Book. However Madam, call it what you please; it Proves that least, which it most Pretends: Indeed the Gentleman flings a little Scripture before your Eyes, not to Open them, but to Blind them: And yet, as much as I can gather, he desires you to Thank him for the Favour. Did time permit me, I assure your Ladyship, I could make a Retaliation, and confute with Scripture those very Points he Coroborats with it. But yet I confess Ingenuously, want of Time is not the only hindrance, a VVorthier Pen has done it to my Hands. And therefore in my Opinion, 'tis a piece of the greatest Folly, to do that which is done already. If your Ladyship will not believe me, turn to the Triple-Cord, and believe your own Eyes. The Gentleman Insinuates, You are endow'd with more than a Female Judgement: Use this great Talent without Prejudice and Passion, and I am sure you will see in the Book I recommend to you all the Articles of the Roman Faith, so firmly Asserted by Scriptures and Fathers, that you will Confess the Letter hath not shaken them. But if you please to follow my Advice, I will show you a shorter way to find out the Truth. You know Madam, that a cunning Artist can easily on a piece of Paper give Falsity some shaddow of Truth. There is nothing more Facil, than to clip a Text, or to Daub it over with a false Varnish. Therefore if the Gentleman can spare an Afternoon, I desire him to meet me: By this means you will see whether the Author deals fairly with you and us too; that is, whether he fastens on us no other Doctrine but what our Church owns: I do not stand upon the place, but submit my self to Yours and His Conveniency. Only I desire we may have Amanuenses, to avoid all Mistakes.
1. I will desire the Gentleman to make good this. But above all, the Doctrine of Purgatory, is as Obliging and Complaisant to Flesh and Blood, as any thing can be, for this takes off all necessity of a strict and Restrained life; here is no need of Mortifying our Members upon the Earth, as the Apostles Advice was: Men need not be so fearful of pleasing their Appetites as they should be, if they were to follow the rigid Precepts of our Saviour, or St. Paul. But the Epicuraean Principle will make a Man happy here, in gratifying the Lusts of the Flesh, and hereafter he shall be happy in Heaven too, if he has but been so frugal as to have a little Money to pay for a Catholick Burial, only undergoing a little Prixation or Roasting by the way.
2. I will desire him to make out this, if they of the Church of Rome can brag of any works of Super-errogation, they are such as these. The Hallowing Daggers, for the cutting off Princes that are not for their turn. The Sacrificing all they please to call Hereticks, And if he cannot, I will Post him up for a Slanderer.
3. I will not omit to ask the Gentleman, from whence he took this Doctrine. Here's a Merchant has Indulgences to sell at a reasonable rate; by virtue of which, Man may gratifie the Lusts of his Flesh here, and when he dies, a small matter towards building or reparing some Religous Conventicle will purchase Masses enough to deliver him out of Purgatory.
4. He shall convince your Ladiship to that we teach. That the Pope can at once forgive a Man all the sins he ever has committed, or ever shall be guilty of; That he can thrust a Man into Heaven for as long a time as he pleases, where he shall lye undiscovered by the All-seeing Eye of God, and at the end of that Term; be kick'd into Hell. That he can forgive the sins of all that are in the Communion of the Roman Church; of all Christians if he pleases; nay, of the whole World at once.
You see Madam, that the Charge is home, and spoken with such an Accent (as any may guess) he desires the World to believe the Papists are guilty of such Extravagances, 'Tis worth the while to examine the Accusation by word of Mouth in your Ladiships presence: That if true, you may more detest Popery; and if false, your Correspondents Forgery and Calumny.
Madam, at present I have only Cull'd these four Points, when these are decided, I will expose more: I desire you for God's sake and your own, to use all your Interest with the Gentleman for a speedy Meeting. All the streets Ring with the Letter, and the Ignorant Mobilee take the Contents for Gospel. The heat is so great against Popery, that every thing adds Fuel to the Flame; but nothing enflames our Enemies more, than such Monstrous Misrepresentations of our Doctrine; Besides your haughty Zealots take our Modesty, for Cowardise; Our Patience, for Fear; and our Silence, for a Defeat; So that I make my Address to your Ladiship, (who perchance, may be no Stranger to your Topping Gown-Men) and conjure you to tell your Friend, I am ready to meet him: And if you please to be cleared of any other Point, chuse whom you please of your Leading Ministers, and you shall find me always willing to wait on them, and your Ladiship.
But I believe you will find it more hard than you imagine, to bring us together; For those Men who had the face to Challenge Mr. Pulton in Print, and the Courage not to take notice that he accepted of the Defy, will easily bear this. However I shall be ready at your call, and am impatient to obey it, as I am to Subscribe my self