OCR Text |
Show A Seafot~able Caveat againf1 PoPERY. VoL. I. Befides the Sign is incompleat, and rh.e End of thlt S:Icrament or Sign not fully ;n[wered, but plainly maimetl, and what God hat_h put together, they have put afunder; fo that the Falfenefs and Unfcnptural PraE\ice of thefe Men are very manifeft. The Senfe of Antiquity and their own Authors. Of their dif~pembring this Sign or Figure, their o~n Coundl.o~Conftance is very plain, Tbar wVcreas fame prt}l!_me t~ affirm, that Cb~jflwn Peopk ought 10 Rueive the Sacrament of the Eucb.trifl, uNder botb 1\.znds of Bread ond(H WeriKnee, t&hec . Council decrees again ft r.h.1 ~ .E nor) .u, nd .r IJ at t IJ oug_"IJ Cl. :n a·d 'lnp 1 Jo adminifler it, and although in tbt Pr~mmve ChurcfJ zt was receJvtd, (Con a feffions very large of t~e Author, a~d Example) we Command under ~xcemmunication, that no Prufl_ Commumcate to t~e People. under hoth Ktnds of Brrad and Wine, C. C. Self. 13. So fays Aqum. Com. m 6. Jobn. Ltfl. 7· And (aid Pope Gt!afiur, Let them Re~eiVe m both Kznds, .or neahtr :. Thus; Popes againll:Councils and Do!\or ag:unft Doflor; yet will the Foolijh Ro~ manifls; (to f•Y no tr10;e) vaunt of the Unity and Infallibility of both. VI. Of the Sacrifice of the Altar. Papift. THE Holy Sacrifiu indeed of the .Mtar, we clearly believe t>ught robe celebrated in both Kinds ~ tU now it ir, according to the Divine In{litution, a1 being done in Commemoration of tbe Lord's ble.ffed Pgf.fion on the Crofs wberei'n the Body ~tnd Blood were jeparated . .A.nfw. Whether it be fair for the Papifis, to Sacrifice at the Alr:ar in both Kinds, and refer to Chrift's Words Lu..te 21. 9· as a Di~ine lnftitut.ion, and yet deny both Kinds to the People, as no Matter of Huth, or of emmem :Regard. Let the Sober judge. Is the Paffage of Divine Inftitution for the S:acrifice and not for the Sacrament? But it plainly manifefts the exorbitant Po~er they afcribe to their Church above the Scriptures, fince with them an Order of her's, may, and ought to break, what them!ehes call a E>ivine Infi.trution. · Papift. Wbatfoevtr tber~fore pr~piriat_ory. Power, our Holy Religio': nttribllfC$ to this Commemonmvc Sacrijict111 u hy Virtue of tire Sttc1"i}ice r{ tbe Crof$ a1 being hy t!Ji.r applied to tif: So th'ar fJ;C /fiU hMmhly acknorrlcdt.e the Grou;d of o11r Salvation to be derived [tom okr Lord's b!c.D'ed Paffion. lmfn;. Their Affront to God, and Juggle with Men, in rhis very Matter. are molt deteftahle; for notwithfranding the Scriptures exprefly tell U5, that we have an High Prielt, that needs no! Sa"ifice onu a Tear, . but rob~ bath offered one Sacrifice; and that by the WtO of God, we are-SttnUifiedtbro the Offering of the Body of Je.frn Cbrijl ONCE for all, and tb., hy ONE Ojfcnng be perfcfled them that are St~nOified, Heb. ro. ro, 1 I, 14. Yet ~o thev daily facrificc him afrefh, as if his firft were infufficient, (If rheirdatly SinS required a new one. Hu~ what Man endued wirh the leaft ~hare of common Senff:, can be fo ftupid, as to imagine, that Chr~fl i$ jncrificed hy every Popifh Priefl, whetJ be offcn up a Bloodlefs Flefhlefs Wafer. What greater Irrev7rcnce can be fhvwn to th~ bitter Paffion of the Lord JeftJs Chrifi, maktng fuch a M~zx-game of H1.r mofl Dreadful .Aguny mrd Crud Death, ttl the jews did witb a crucified Child. This is fo much worfe than the ilaronical Priclt~hood, as th:lt was be-fore Chrift, and fo Typical of his Coming, and of Divine Authority; And this :afte[ his Coming, whofe own Words and the Apoltlc's (whom rhcfeMcn pretend to Saint, and own) bear Record, That 0 ]'o,"C E for all, ant1tk Vor... I. ONE Offering of Himfeif, elc. And confl:quently void of all Comm·ffi as well as Precedent. l 10n, The Cheat they _put upon Men is plainly this, That >vhilft with fine Words rhey ~eem ongmal!y to gr?und their S~lvati?n upon Chrift's Sacrifice of the Crof:.. they craftily attnbute to thetr dally Sacrifice of h. finaUShareoJ. Merit, mfo f!Jan; mediate and fe~onda~yCauft..r, whic~m~~t needs be obvtous to every unhyaft Reader. Theu cunous E'puheu feem 00 .. ly. to ferve the Place of fo many Covers, for the Malignity of their Sopbijlual Do[/rmu. Vll. Of P nATE n in Latin. Papift. wE frufy acknow/e!lge that it is no Wap camman!lt,J hy the Church, tbttl the People jhoMid pray in a Lnguagt tbty under .. fland not. .Anfw. I perceive the Man is ftill upon his free acknowledgments; cer4 tamly tf what he fo often confelfes not to have been the Pra8:ice of the Primitive Church, and to be. unwarrantable from her Example, were but abit~atled, there. would rematn :1 very abrupt and narrow Faith for the R~ manifls to expl:un. . But b~ is too equivoca.l upon t~e. Word Church: If by it he would have us underfian.d, the Anct~nr Chrijhan Church; it is rrue, that no Prayers '!ere ~a de tn an unknown Tong.ue; f~r the Scriptures, of Divine Au thorny Wtth her, exprefly c<:'ndemn It, as Irregular, and unprofitable. Let fuch ~cep fi/ent fmd the Apoflle Paul, 1 Cor. 14. 28. and Peter never conuadiEled him. But if by the Church, he underftands the Roman he is either carelefs of his own Reputation (that whilft he m:akes the morai Law the ninth Head of his Confeffion, commits fo great an Error againfi: h a; to obtrude a.Lye). or ~lfe he. rrufts ~o our Ignorance of her pretent Practice; for that fhc ts gu1lty m this parttcular, and the Point defended too, Irecommend the Reader to the following Authoritiu. ~apift. l\~ay, there H gjv_m them all poffible Enccouragements, to entreaf~ t btlr Devottom;. by o~dt~tnmg and publifoing mofl t xuUent Prayers, in vulgar Language$JOr_thetrufc • . Tbtrt U an exprifs Command of our Holy .A-lather !be Church, zn the Council of Trent, that Paflors in the Time of Diviltc Servtce, jhould expound to tbe Ptople's Capacities, etc. • .A.nfw I fhall return my Anfwer, in thefe four Particulars. F,rfl, That all poffi~le Enc~uraqement is not given where rflore may : but .that more may, vtew .Spam, }ranee, and Italy, where Prayerr are ih '!--dtm., uttknown to many MtUtons of Souls; and let us remark it, for a more Infalhhle Truth,. than any th~ Pope's Chair can afford us, That the grfat Dept~~~ tb~ Policy and Securuy of that Religion, lie$ in tbe Ignorante and Stup1d11y of the People, Secondly, No thanks to the Romanift$7 that the People have any where fo much P:iviledge, as.at any Time to underfiand what they fay: For this is only owtng to the Light of Reform:uion ; for that having given a Difcovery of rhe grofs Darknefs of Popifh PraElices, they were neceffitated to move fomewhat from their ancient Cuitoms, which is no hnter rhan a lame Excuf~, mtldeby a Thief caught in the Fdfl. H11d there been no Luther in Ger· many, nor Zw~ngl_ius in Switzerland, u·e could 1'ol ~xpeO, nor evtr lulitvt., that the Counc1l of Trent wo~ld have allowed of rbat LiberJy; UJben to cloml tb~ P~op/e,·a.nd to lock up tb~rr Vnderflandings in rbe Pope'$ .Artanllnt, if thl Dtanwn Pro1efl of bis Conclt~ve. Thirdly, Its worth our Obfervation, that thofe very Books of Devotion a!e never dotlrinal, I meJn explanatory of their Principles (thofe rhey h1dc) hut filled zMh elezant Pbrafu, aRd rare Cuts of lm11gcry, fuited tor}~ lljfeUi~ |