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Show A Sea.fon4ble Ca.veal againfl PoPERY. Voi..t. his own Liberty) to vindicate tlnlt of lleformat~on, fr~m t&f t]llstinttfl Stra~ tagems, and ntoft unwearied Endeavour.r of Ronu!h EmijfantJ, to put botb it and us into their lnquijitioR. . We Juzow they bt~ve fo far mtJfler'J tbeir ancient F!~rcenefs, and mr~sJl.'d tbeir fanguil~e Looks, with thofe mor~ madefl and f~mthar; tbar.rbolltb tttt nul nor mqrt Reafoo 1ban before, ere nttd mort Skzll and Gtuuon, "' t/fe (IJe may rou fatally exptritttcttbt Foret of tbat VJII~ar Pr~verb: Laugh ia thy Face, and cut thy Throat. . Tbeyart grownfo Complaiiant, tlJ noJtt fum mor~ ext~fper_nted at J>.erft~ cutiM tb:m tbemfdlves, (whilft the ver.Y ~atbers of It) durym~ the Rer&~ nef.r of Jcmze Cotmtriu (whofe Incendtanes they were, ~d fhll ~r~) and i1Jiputillt 411 the Blood of ppor Pr~ttftants !o fome unwarr~ntahk etv~l &ore (therein abufing the Civil M~g1ltute wuh the Execunon ~f theu. ?~D Confpiracies) naJ, for a/J tbeu Vlii(Ta/Jle Efleem of the Popes ln/alllblllly, tbt)l ba<•e not ftuck to O:nf•re hir roaring &ar (though procur'd by their own means) and alltbat 1Rigbt exprifs their new ~mdernefs ; tbat nwty @acquainted v;ilb tbeir Prafiicu, art ready to believe tbtm what tb1y faJ t hemfelves to he, wbofe Moral is to have two Stri11g1 to their Bou, to be ambo· dexter, and. furniili'd with l,teanings to fuit the Compafs of all Oc-ca~~ nflw,,. I prtmife tbrtt Things : Firjl, . tbdt 1 cordiaUy ~e/iroe a c.re11 Number of Roma.nHls may be abufed; Zealots, tbrngb the ulle volllllll11011t Traditiom of the)~ Church, wha111 I raJbtr pity tbon d11rt to wron1. Secondly, That I llefJgn nothing lefs th11l inceoJing of the Civil Alagift rate ag:Unft them (were fu~b a Thin!) polli.ble) for I proftfr my felf • ~rit.Jtd. to an Umwrfai Toleratt011 of Faltb and Worj}np. Thirdly, That the Pamphlet anfwct'd, being but ooe Sheet, L confoe my. Exanti11at.ion to.• narrow Compafs: .4nd ~b~ raJ be!', b~t•Mft tJ. more coofo d;rtJb/e Di.fcourft u u11der 11tJ prefent Ettqatry ; uJbub, if Provrdtn&t fo or .. ler it, m11y fpeedi'J he ~MttdtJ. p11blick. However, lettbu go for Preface to that larger Traa, in which the Rom:m· Hls-,.tJ fee both liwif' .Tg'!ortl1ue in tiH !-f•du of tJ. tr~a- CbMTch, and 1/uil liftle Share or 1-nurefi rn thofe they attTJbMtt to her lfl fuclJ. Ptmf, Buckinghamfbite, tire'23iofrbc 1trhM.onrb, t670. ( ) (i. n . [I - :.. '(I' W. P. . .. A Seafotfa'ble Ca'!Jeat ~r,ainfi. P ~ P E R T. T HOUGH to ar~pe ag,.alo!\.a Trib4,ofM<111 thai efteem aU Reafon . Carnalr Ohd &flf'UT'f<,-ilrtperftfi; mitht rit6tlj' 1Je . dged a meer bearing, of the Atr, and a Task only to be enter~riz~ by fuclt as :11e defirous of no Suctefs ; yet t.O prev~IU t9~ who may ~e decezved, an~ if poffible to reclaim fuch as are; and lafUy, to clear mtne own Confct• ence, molt of· alt-irr mine-l!ye; Hh:tll-defttnd-to confider the ""found, ,. well ao untrue., CopfeffiORli of the RomaniJI.r, in the Pa;~~pblu under Examt• ·n:ttion. ' I. Of the ScRIPTUREs. Papifl. wE htli~1·e the Ho'f Script urn to be of. Divin~ Infp)ra.tioll, and . •· I'lfidlibit.dutlum1)11 <lJtJl rJibatjP<o<r" tbehm • .cantatned to be •!" Word of God, pa~, 1. .A.nfttJ. Certainly thefe .ilfen muft eithec think we are wholly ignorant of thciJ: Princjples, or wt mufi needs conclude they h;lv«.forfakeu them. ~ Vox.. f. A .Sea.fURable Crweat ag;ainft PoPRl\Y· ;, fo m1nifd\ thJt they have robb'd the Scriptures of thelr Authvrity, 1670, tbJt the Pvpe has all; and they have then only any, when be is pleafed to ~ fbmp hls probatllm eft upon them. That this is true~ how frequent do we find the RomtJIIijfs, in their Refle6ions upon the Prouflontt on this Occalion. Tb6t tbcy ~ad nor known tbe Scriptures to be fwcb \ nay, tiN!J 11ttht buue hun ttl sn ,J/e Tale to them, btd thq nat b~en rtctiv'J, heliev'tl: and deliver' d. down, as Divine Writ, by t bti1 Clutrcb ; as if the Ground .of believing this to be true, and that to be falfe, had been as much rhar Qf uue Faith, as we know it, by fad Experience, to be the Ctufe of that fiupid Superftition, and bruti!h Zeal whlch reign amongfi: the abus'd R,;., manijls. Befides, if the Scriptures be infallible, as they confefs, why are thole DoUrine~ and Ptaflices retain'd in the Romijh Church, which moft exprefly oppofe. the Senfe of Scripture, upon the fingle Edil.ls of the Popt 1 tJt tbtlt oj J'T.Dblblltng Fnejh to il1arry, an.i Flejh to be tdttn 11p011 clrtlht Da;·r, of whtch the rruly Cathollcal Apojlle gives this defiuitiye Judg!llenr, tbty are tbe Do[/n'ne of Devi!J: Nor are their Pratl:ices, in Lieb theiWf. lefs Diabolical, fince their Fajls arc mofi ufually kept with exct/five Trent; of Wine tmd Sweerme111 s; and their Pritftr are notorioufly allow'd to f~ q~ent Srewr, or to keep as many Sttumpers as their Purfe or Luft thaU pleafe ; though h be a .moft Cordintti Offence, by marrying, to have one h9ncft Woman. But (hofe who t£3Vcl !tal} are not unacquainted with tlie Pope's G11in, or Taxe1 on fuch Places, for which they have his Bro&d• Sial, or opuz Licenu. Perhaps fome will fay, Theft art b11t Min11te Mautu (however go.od old PoJ11l might zealoufly ftile them DofJrine.r of Devilr) and therefore we will inftance in fomething more important, What think tht P.tpijl, of their Images ) 'Tis true, that, fay they, they don't adore them now, but we know wh.at Elleetn their firft 1$reUorr rot uvon them, and the high Value the Romijh Church places upon the Inventors; and 'tis as impoffible we fhould give our Eyes the Lye, when we behold them mactratilil t)"eir. Brttt}lt and Kneet before tbofe Unfenfible Stoclu and Stones, as RtH/J6nifls a.re wont to think us rnoft abfurd in cJedidng our Scnfes, as if that ProvcJb wefe of no Moment, Seei11g it Believing, or rarbrr CoRVincing. Al:~s, their Popet, Cardinals1 Friars, N11nnerie.r, Hafy-J.tl)'J1 with other Points more Doftrinal yet to be examin'd; Whence came they ? What Scrip(ure ever Authorized fuch Pra£\:ices in the Chriftiun Church ? PttJJ/ teld the Churches, He bad 11ot bun wanting_ to. declare thl w1Jt~U O"unfel of Ood unto them i and yet were they wholly ignorant of thefe Thingsi and that fOr above three Ht:mdred Years after • Therefore we infer, that fince there is that manifeft Jar betwin .. thi' Piece of their Profeffion, and their prefent Prafiice, ::ts well as DoQ.rine, they have either relinquifh'd their former Faith, or play die wretched lm• pollors with the People1 I wifh the firlt, bu• fear the tall . Pap. But jince in the Script~tre there ttre lome Tbingt bard to H under .. flaoJ, wbicb the unflable wrtfl to their own bejlruOion: We there/or~ pr,. frJ.r, for tbe ending of Controvtr}iu, to jidmt}t 1111r ]114Amt1111 to thar of the Cb11rch in a Free Ge.lltral Co11nci!. Anfw. A poor Shift to in,•alidat~ Scriptures, and entitle their own Tra~ ·ditioos to rbe Honour of a Rule, and. as what moft apdy fltould deQde a).l Controverfies. Peur.r Words apply'd, to render this Pretence more plaufible, are miw fmbly mif-applyed. The Apollle ooly fuys, that Paol had wriuo t~ero concerning the long Suffering of God, that it wtU Salvation; the pre~ent Subjeft: handled hy Perer; and that in cbofe Epiftles Paul h:1d fame Thmgs h~rd (0 be underftood; But what were thofe Things; noc thofe in Con· troverfie betwixt us and tile Papiftr, nothing being more notonous: And wbo were they th:n wrefted them, but the Unlearned and Unftable, not io the \'lifdom of thi• World I that beiog Science, falOy fo call~i!c:~ |
