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Show A Se~t.Jonable Caveat againjl PoPERY. VoL. t. Wicked and Ungodly Men, as the profufe Athei!l of the Times, in his f~equent Abufe of the Sc~ipturc, by his fc~rnlous Mtfinterpretatt~n of n; forasrhe Wife Man fatd, To fear God, H TV'ifdol~(ortrue Le:umng)a!'J to dtp4rt from Jnii)Nity_, t!Mt if a good Underfland,'!g; and as Jcfus Chnit faid, They rbnt Jo my CVill, jhaO htow o{ my Dofln?'t: How t~1en can the Papiftr infer from hence, that the Scnp~ures are ~mperfett, tn the more Fundamental Points of Faith and Worfiup? Can H be the Word of God, and yet wanting Sufficiency. . A free general Council is a Monfter, in the Romijh Church ; ~ow dare they talk fuch Languag~ here i.n E'!gland, who know the Severay of the Jefuitr and Popijh FaEbon, aga10fl: H ~eyond the Seas? What meant thofe ill Refentments againll Wbite and S(r;(anr of ~ngland, and Wtlcb of l~t· ' land in Rome l If this Latitudinarian, or new Kmd of Popery, had not d1f· guftcd: Nor Qn I take it for an In france of.t~e.ir Return; but as the next befiStep to the exorbitancy ofPopifh Jnfalhbrllty.. . What fhould a Council be called for? that .Pnncrples rhould be rtce>ycd or difowned ~ then muft a General CouncJl gtve Fanh, and Underfiandmg, or elfe Men muft be concluded to believe againft their Belief, by Plurali1y of Votes; a Thing ridiculous, with h~lf.witted People. If qod's Grace, and the Scripture Record, be nor fuffiae~t; Re.afon and Expene~ce cell us that Genuals Councils arc much more mfuffic1ent ; Befides, thiS' were to uther in all Kind of Impiety , for whatever lnrerelt in the General Co;mcil (as chat .of Trent) concludes as requifite, to be receiv~ or done, tha! ~u(t rndifpenfibly be obeyed; fo that the Morn/ or DoOnnal GooJ. or Ev1/ ~f an .Jill or Principle (in, and from a Man's own Judgment) fhlll not be obh~ ging 5 bur he muft be bound againft his own Senfe, Reafon and Faith. Th< Senft of Antiquity, ami. their own Au~hors. Their Pretence of ufing Tradition, for a necelfary Supply to the Defefu oftheScriptutes is ameer Juggle: hnce they only evade the tlearnefs of the one, to fhro;,d their defei\ivc Doil:rines under the abufed Amiquirycf the other. For it is well known, that by their Expurgn1ory lnJicu, they have endeavoured. to purge the Works of .the firfi ~~tbers, of [uch Matters, as might make to the Overthrow of the1r fuperihuous DoGhmes. This is evidenr, out of Junil#s, iu the Cafe of Bertram elder than Thtophr /aU, Oecumenitn, &c. Be/Jar mint himfelf, fiicks not to allow it, but thifts it off to an ~rrian. This may be farther fe:en, in the Colleaion Binius made of the Farhtn pag. 28. 2 Edit. An. 161 r. In lhort, whole Sentences are put our, and whole Sentences put in : much might be faid of this, but in my other Dif.. courfe I fhall enlarge. Ar:ad what they mean by a Frtt·General Council, we m1y reac! in the Coun• cil of Trent, whoie Simony and Cheats, out-do all Precedents: Befides, thefe Men little dream of one T~trrurementa, that in fo many Words tells us, The Pope it tbe Foundation, 'Rule and Principle of Faith (whicb is God's Gift) for to him it belongs, fays that Doaor, to be the .A1tnfJtre, Rule and Science ofTbings that art to be ht!iroeJ, and ofTbing~ wbicb are neujfary, to he bebtved unto Life Ettrnal. Turrecrem. Lib. 2. Cap. 107. This !S the Sting. Confider the Pope's Intereft,-and what that is, fuch will be h1s Irnpofitions: horrible Slavery, and moft unpardon:~ble Idolatry.! For as he can make a new Creed or Symbol of Faith, fo he can multiply new Ar· ticleione upon another, f:~ys Aug. Tri11mpb111 exrravqJ.. de Urb: L_11. 59· Art 2. Salm<ron Prolog. in Com. in Epifl. ad Rom. part ;. pag. 176. II. Of Voz.. 1. \ II. ·Of the; BletTed T R 1 N I T Y ; of Ptayer to Saints and Angels. Papill. wE humbly beli<v< tbt Samd Myjl<ryof tbe Bltffid Trinity, Oft< _ 4 E~ernal A!mtgbty. and tncomprthenji~!~ God, whom only we .i'dore and Worjh1p, tU alone bavmg Sovermgn DQ111mzon ovtr aD Things, to mbom 'W(. admawl,Jge! ttl due frQm M~n tmd .dngtls, ali G!9ry, and Servi,(, 11nJ Obedzenu, abborrmg from our HeattJ ( m d moflilereflahkSacriledte) to. give Ofr Cr(ator's lionour tQ any Creatllrt wb~trfoever. . f .dnfw. TbtfeFtne Words look newly llamptout of theJefuit'sMinl: Were they ~s plain, ~~ they a!e. tilled ~ith hquivo.catiorJ, the RomtJ>fijl would deceive us all m our.Op1mon of h1m, coucermng the Point in Con-uovedle : Obf(rve /;is Cunning. . · llis Words of the Trinity are model!, neitiler llighf)t Alhandfian nor y~t $ocinian, as fame phrafe it, but Calculated to both MeritllflJis : 'Yet how Men CJn own God, a.nd deny che exprefs Rules of His Spirit, as mo.ft precifely mention'd jn the Scriptures of Truth. is to me a Paradqx. Bbt"bOw fuuch the Pr()genitQrs of the Romanifl~ have been injurious ro the ChrifHan f~~~~ ~~ /C:~~ multiplied ob(cure Phrafes ab~ut the 'Trinity, is not un· lje thinks to clear.hitnfelf of Imagery, but plainly catch.,himfelf ln ~Is Own Refervations: What Honour does he give to God? that wbi'h is due to him, a1 having $Qveraign Dominion over aU. Things : He does not fay th:ir: none it due to S,.ints or Angels. Tbeyabhor to give tbtir Creator's Honour to JJny Creature_; hUt do .tbty 4eny to give' any Divi1u Honour to Ihtagti, or tbe Reprejenrai1ons of Smnts 4tJd .Angels : Of chis they are Silent, but wek;noW they do it. , Papill . .dnd tb'r'for< W< So!tmnly prottjl, tbat by rbt Praytr> ,,,. addri!fi To lingds and Sainrs~ iJJe inrend no other tban humbly to /oDiciu their .Afjijfance be[Qre tbe Throne of Gra(e; not tb11t we hop~ any Thing fronr them ·d$ Origin:ll Aurhgrs, h11t [rQm God tbro11gb Jifm Chrijl QJIT only Mediator .anti Redeemer. · An fro. 'Twere endlefs to bring the' COntradiE\:ions of th'eir own A:uthois, to the Senfc thefe- Words feem to import, :rnd y'et they are fo laid as to admit of various Con(J:ru8:ions; an Art they are tttatly Mafleri of. Fir./1, What Ground have rhey to believe rh'at fuch So1licitarions-,h:tve fuch Efteas ; the Scriptures arc filent .in the Cafe • ndr W:IS it the PraUice of fc\'eral Ages aftet that of the Apoftles J fo that it is neither wa'tr:~ntablc by rheScripture, nor the moft unfpotted Tradition. ~'ll\'· Nor do we fay, that the Papifls ever held thofe Images to h':lve an{Vir,. tue fimply from within themfelves, but that God was the Original Author: Yet their own Words imply, they m1y he mediate Auchors of Benefit. to us. And what is it but to contr:tdia: themfelves, to f:Jy, They ~~n !Jut One JUt· Jiator Cbrifl ]efin? And yet to allow a Mediating Power· to SJinu and Angels, . at the Throne of Grace. If People will be phr:rs'd om of tlicir Religion they may; but fuch defervc to be Papifls who have fo mc!Jn. an Opi .. nion of thoir own Underftandings, ar to em brice' the1fe Croffi'ng ConfeftiorlS' for Sincere Articles of Flith. The Senfe of A :N T 1 Q u l T -r. fnMg<l of old wore not admitted to be in Chutches (fo CJ!red1 Sint~n bl~tgus being t~cir moft notorious Founder, :tnd by wl:tofe Example .tqey were firft reverenced. The Gnojlid.s, and CaqiQ&ratialls, are charg'd waif , this Popifh. Veneration, as ft~retick's, in Tbruil()rtf lib. t. Au~uft. Httrtf. F.bul.-:::! |
