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Show 7g, 1679· >.../"V"".-1 Pmll. Sell. 5· An Addtefs to Protef!anu; VoL I. the Rule and ]11Jge o/Failb, &c. is an upftart Thing, and like mean Fami~ lies, or ill got Goods, it ufes falfe Heraldry to give it a Title. For the Apoftolick Times, to which all others mufl: vail, and by whom they muft be tried, k~ew no fuch Conceit : ~nd the. '!ruth is, h was fir1t ftarted, when the Pnde of one Man made htm ambmous, and his Power able to bid for Head/hip, Empire and Sovtraignry: h was then needful to his being Vniverfal Head, that he ibould firlt have an. Vnivtrjill Body. But fuppofe fuch a Church there were, 'tis utterly impofiible that fucha Church could be called together in any one Place; or at any one Time, to be told, or to determine of any Thing: So that yielding the Thing by them defired, 'ris ufetefs and impraCticable to the Ends fot which they de~ fire it. But alas! who knows not, that loves not to be blind, that the Church among them is the PriefihoBd ? The few cunni~~ Men govern the Majority, and intitle their Conceits the Canons of Chrijfs Cburch, to give them Entrance and Acceptance: And then Humane Power and Force, the Policy and Weapbns of this World, muft be employed to b:J.ck their De· crees. And all this comes from the Ig11orance and ld!encfs of the Peop_le, that give the Pride and lndu!\ry of the Clergy an Oppoltunity ro effeCt their Defigns upon them. For fo mean Spirited are the People, as to rake all upon Trufi: for their Souls, that would not trufi: or take from an Jlrclr Bifh•p a brafs Shilling or a flit Groar. 'TlS prodigioua to think what Veneration the Priejlbood have raifed to themfelves, by their ufurpt Commifiion of .Apofllefoip, their pretended Sue· ceffions, and their Cli11k Clank of extraordinary Ordination. A Priefl, a GoJ on &nb, n }Han that btU the Kelt of Heaven and Heli ; do tUbe fays or he damn'd! What Power like to thts ? The Ignorance of the People, of their ·Title and Pretences, hath prepared them to deliver up themfelvesinto their Hands, like a crafty Ufurer, that hedges in the Efl::ate on which he has a Mortgage; and thus they make themfelves over in Fee to the Clergy, :J.nd become their proper Pt~trimony, infi:ead of being their Care, and they the true Minifters or Servant5 of the People: So that believing_ _; ~s the Church · believes, is neither more nor lefs than rooking Men of their Underfiandings, or doing as ill Gamefters are wonr to do, get by ufing falfe Dice. Come, come, it's believing as the Pricflbood believes, which h:J.s made 'Vay for the Offence, wife and good Men have taken againft the Clergy in every Age. And did the People examine their Bottom, the Ground of their Re~ ligion and Faith, it would not be in the Power of their Leaders to caufc them to err. An implicit Veneration to the Clergy begun the Mifery. What, doubt my MiniUer, arraign his Doftrine, put him to the Proof! by no Means: But the Confequence of not doin~ it, has been the lnrroduB:ion of much falfe Do8:rine, Superftition and FormJlity, which gave juft Occafion for Schifm; for the WQrd has no Hurt in it's felf, and implies only a Separation; which m:~y as well be right as wrong. But that I may not be taxed with P.utiality, or upbraided with Singula· rity, there are two Men, whofe Worth, Good Senfe, and true Learning. I will at any J:ime engage againft an entin:Convocation of another Judgment, viz. JncobiiJ .Acontiut and John Hales of Ea1on, that are of the fame Mind, who, though they have not writ much, have wri.t well and much to the Purpofe. I will begin with Jacobtn Jiconliut at large, and do heartily befeech my Readers to be mote than ordinarily intent in reading wb:It I cite of him ; their Gare and Patience will be requited by his Chriftian and very acute Senfe. ' It remains that we fpeak of fuch C:tufes of the not perceiving that a • Change of Do8:rine is introduced, as confift in the Perfons that are taught. ' Now they are c~iefiy two, CzrtlejneJt an:l ~t:norancc. Carelefne{t fo_r ' the mofi Pan anfeth hence, In that the People rrufl roo much to thctr ' PJfiors; and perfw:~de themfelves, that they will not fiip imo any Error, ' and that therefore they have fm:J.ll Need to have an Eye over them, but ' that they are bound rather to embrace whatfoe.ver they (hall hold fonh, ~ without any curious Examination. Hereunto may he added many othet Bufine!l'cs VoL. I. An Adtlrefs to 'Proteflantr ' Rufinelfes, "hereunto Men additl h • 7&3 : Extent, Where Men's- T, enfure is tth~~[elvesh: Fer that Saying is ofbrge T6 ' l\o ./J<tm cnn ferve two Majlers-.' Now uh~:~~ Htarr, and that Qther, ~ ' }:r~r Ka Pelopdle hath once had a great K~owledgi~ ~fynco~e tTo pafs thJt Parr 1{. , t now e ge may as It were vam(h he IVIOe rurhs, the Sea > , hath been e\'en now alledged w (h ll ~way, fides that Caure which · • ' of fome other Reafons. We fhal{fora hm anfither Place make Difcovery ' tbe People themfel\'es are in a r t e l{t:e ent add only this one that ' U'ng aud depaning, orher.s fuc~gfnr;al dtnd of Mutation, fome' daily ' he,nce It comes to pars, That Iince the ch grow~g Ut> in their Stead. , Age IS {maU, either the Peo le a~ge .w tch IS made in every ' ir, yet they efteem tt not of fuch Mnnot perceive I~, or if they do obferve ' ference thereabout. This Thin atfumi~n\as to thmk fit to move any Dlf~ c People from rak1ng Not1ce ofga Ch 0 .vegJ_t~t Fnrce to keep the ' ~e:fwade themfclves, that they are n~;~ebl': t . dnne, when Men fhaU , ligton, as though It u It n nor 0 JU ge of Matters of Re· ' not ftgntfy the fame ;hich the' and _other Words _ufed in Scripture, do thmg could be underfiood wirhou~ ~o In comKon difcoutfe i or as if no· : and ~rrs or Sciences, and as if the P:e~r~f\h nswl~ge in the Tongues, cy Without rhefe Helps Whereb . e • p1ru were of no Effica. : thmk they underfiand n~t even th~f~tr~·meth h~ rfs, that whilft they , underfbnd, being expreffed in moft cl 10~1 w .1' 1n fame Son they do ' length arnve to that Blockifhnefs, th ear hand ettdent Words, they do at deed ' fo that, though the hav art ey .cannot underftand them in· : ture fo clear, that nothing ~an bee before !~CIT Eyes~ Sentence of Scrip· thoriry they tn all Thin s fub· a more evt enr, yer tf rhey to whofe Au· ' blank oppofite thereunr! the/:,mt~emf~veJ. fh:lll fay any Thing Point : themfelves not to fee th~t which the 'ft relit unto them, ar.d Imagine thefe Means verily it comes t Y ee as c ear as the Light. ·And by ; 10's 'aorrup!ed, the Mutation ?s P!~~~ J~tc~~~·~n t~e I!_o__C\rine of Religio~ o nne ts once begun to be chan d . · urtu.crmore, when the : Error another fhould ti · d ge ' It mu~ n~eds be, thai out of one : Reafons of his own, blf~~~~ a~he~ro~gate tnfimte1y; and God, for Juft Darknefs, and flip into fuchg foul E en b~ng_l!pon themfelves fa great : a Man's Eyes, and let hJm fee h rrors. t at lt. God. of his Mercy open ' beheve himfelf, or be perfwad:d ~~eatE~rors he hves m, he can fcarcely blind Errors. Which thin is e was ever envelop'd With: fuch ' greateft Learning and Exp;nen:: tr]f~hand ';h iell to be feen in Men of : Wrmngs of fame ofthe School-~en (aso~h a t llthohroughly perufe the fome Places meet Wlth fo m h ey ca . t em) thou !halt in ' Thou fhalt fee them oftenti~~ ~cutenefs, as Wtll make thee admire: ' and accurately Anatormfe a Fl c eave a fine Thread into many Parts, • vouch fuch AbfurdJties that t~' and ~Jlttle ~fter fall fo foully, and a' wherefore we muft obef that Adv~~e ~£" the"P~etu~ciendy ftand amazed' 2rincipiis obfla, fert; meJicintt paratur um mala per long ttl invaluere morm,, Refi~ betimes ; that Med•cine fbys too long Which comes when Age has made the Griet ~oo fhong. ' Now there is Need of 3 d bl ~- . . ' made in the Doarine wh o.u . e '-'lUtton, VJ::. That there be no Otange ' there he notice taken ~fir en NIS pure : And •If any <;hange be made,thJt ' all the Blame is laid upon. thof~w ~o~k Q&_at ~h~nge I_s made in this Kind, 'For though themfelves are th Aw 0 e celt ts tO mftrufl the People : ; pie impute it to the Minifter~ Sl~th?rS fiof the Change, yet wiii the Peo~ concerns therefore the Paft d ~me s, and want of Care .lt lea ft. It : very wel1 ac~uaint~ with ~bso;en Cau}=~~hsc:eobyb~h~a~~~y~~/D'!d~i: · becomes uodtfcover d, and to have them at their Fingers t!ds, and to be wary, |