CHAP. III. Against Popery, by which every honest godly man is secured from them
CHAP. III. Against Popery, by which every honest godly man is secured from them.
A rgum. 1. If there be any godly honest men on earth besides Papists, then Popery is false and not of God. But there be godly honest men on earth besides Papists: therefore Popery is false, and not of God.
The Major is proved thus. It is an Article of the Popish faith, that there are no godly honest men on earth, besides Papists: therefore if there be any such, Popery is false, (By godly honest men, I mean such as have true love to God, and so are in a state of salvation.) The Antecedent I prove thus. 1.
Their very definition of the Church doth make the Pope the Head, and confine the membership only to his subjects, making the Roman Catholic
Church (as they call it) the whole. 2. But yet lest any ignorant Papists say, I may be a Roman Catholic without believing that all others are ungodly, and shall be damned, I will give it you in the Determination of a Pope and general Council. Leo the tenth, Abrog. Pragm. sanct. Bull. in the 17th
General Council at the Lateran, saith [And seeing it is of necessity to salvation, that all the faithful of Christ be subject to the Pope of Rome, as we are taught by the testimony of divine Scripture, and of the holy Fathers,
and it is declared in the Constitution of Pope Boniface 7. &c.] And Pope Pius the second was converted from being Aenaeas Sylvius by this Doctrine of a Cardinal, approved by him at large, Bull. Retract. in the Vol. 4, of Binius, p. 514. [I came to the Fountain of Truth, which the holy Doctors, both Greek and Latin show; who with one voice say, that he cannot be saved that holdeth not the unity of the holy Church of Rome; and that all those virtues are maimed to him that refuseth to obey the Pope of Rome; though he lie in sack cloth and ashes, and fast and pray both day and night, and seem in the other things to fulfill the Law of God.] So that if a Pope and General Council be false, then Popery is false. For their infallibility is the ground of their faith, and they take it on their unerring authority. But if the Pope and a General Council be to be believed, then no man but a subject of the Pope can be saved: no, though he fast and pray in sack-cloth and ashes day and night, and seem to fulfill the rest of the Law of God. Its certain therefore that if any one of you that call yourselves Roman Catholics do not believe that all the world shall be damned save yourselves, you are indeed no Romance Catholics, but are Heretics yourselves in their account; for you deny a principal Article of their faith; and deny the Infallibility of the Pope with a General Council, which is your very Foundation.
And therefore we find that even in the great charitable work of reducing the Abyssinians, the Jesuit Gonzalus Rodericus in his speech to the Emperors mother laid so great a stress on this point, that when she professed her subjection to Christ, he told her, that [None are subject to Christ that are not subject to his Vicar,] [Negavi Christo subjici qui ejus vicario non subjicitur.] Godignus de reb. Abassin. Lib. 2, c. 18, in Roderic. liter. p. 323.
And Bellarmine saith (de Eccl. l. 3, c. 5.) that [no man though he would can be subject to Christ that is not subject to the Pope] that is, he cannot be a Christian. And therefore Card. Richlieu (then Bishop of Lusson.) tells the Protestants that they were not to be called Christians. And Knot against Chillingworth, with abundance more of them, asserting that Protestants cannot be saved, do easily learn to practice this Lesson of the Pope and Council. I come now to prove that your Pope, and Council, and Faith are false, and that others besides you may be in a state of Charity and Salvation.
(For you confess yourselves, that he that is in a state of Charity, is in a state of Salvation.) 1. If a man may know his own heart, then there are others besides Papists that are in Charity, and are godly men: (and so in a state of Salvation) But a man may know his own heart: therefore, &c.
The Consequence of the Major is plain by inward experience to every godly, honest man that knoweth himself. If I can know my own heart, I must needs say I love God, and am not void of sincere Godliness and Honesty. And that I may know my own heart I can tell also by experience:
For to know my own Knowledge and Will is an ordinary certain thing, if not by intuition itself. And if a man cannot know whether he believe and love God or not, then no man can give thanks for it, nor make Profession of it: nay men cannot converse together, if they cannot know their own minds.
And Bellarmine confesseth that we may have a moral Conjectural certainty that we have true Love, and are justified. And then I have a moral conjectural certainty at least, that Popery is false; because I have at least such a certainty that I am not ungodly or unjustified. So that look what measure of knowledge or persuasion any Protestant hath that he is truly
honest and justified, that measure of knowledge must he needs have (if he understand himself) that Popery is a deceit.
So that from hence you may gather these four conclusions; 1. That all that have any knowledge or persuasion that they are not ungodly unjustified persons themselves, and void of the true Love of God, are quite out of danger from turning Papists, if they understand but what Popery is; and if they do not, they cannot turn to it, but in part.
2. That never any honest godly man did turn Papist in the world; and this the Papists themselves will justify: For they say (by a Pope and general
Council) that no man can be saved but a Papist: and they generally hold, that all that have Charity and are justified, shall be saved if they so die. So that if Popery be true, then no man had Charity or true Godliness before he was a Papist: and therefore never did one godly man or woman turn Papist.
And therefore let them take the honor of their wicked seduced Ones. What glory is it to them that none ever turned to them but ungodly people?
3. And it followeth that the Papists do not so much as desire or invite any godly man to turn to them. If you understand their meaning, they call you not to turn to them, if you are not ungodly persons.
4. And hence it follows that everyone that turneth Papist, doth thereby confess that he was a wicked man before, and that he had not the least true love to God; that he was not justified, but a graceless wretch.
In a word, all you that do but know or hope that you have any saving Grace, have an Argument here against Popery, which all the Jesuits in the world cannot confute. For you know your own hearts better then they: And they have no way to turn you to them, but by persuading you that you are not what you are, and that you know not what you know. So that plainly this is your Argument, [I know, or I have good persuasions that I am not utterly
void of Charity or saving Grace; therefore I know, or have the same persuasions that Popery is false, which determineth that none have Charity or saving Grace but Papists.] 2. But I proceed to a further proof of the Minor; A man may have a very strong Conjecture that many others that are no Papists have saving Grace; though he had no persuasion that he hath such Grace himself. And consequently he must have as strong a conjecture that Popery is false. What abundance of holy heavenly persons have we known of all ranks among us!
Such as have lived in daily breathings after God, spending no small part of their lives upon their knees; and in the serious and reverent attendance upon God in holy worship, meditating day and night upon his Law; hating all known sin, and delighting in holiness, and longing for perfection; and living in constant Temperance and Chastity, abhorring the very appearance of evil, and making conscience of an idle word or thought, devoting their lives and labors, and all they have to God, giving all their Estates (some of them) to pious and charitable uses, except what is necessary for their daily bread, even mean clothing and food; taming their bodies, and bringing them into subjection, and denying themselves, and mortifying the flesh, and contemning all the Honors or Riches of the world, resolving to suffer death itself, (as many of their Brethren have done from the Papists) rather than sin willfully against God and their consciences: in a word, living to God, and longing to be with him, and manifesting these longings to the very death; grieving more at any time, if they have but lost the sense and persuasions of the love of God, then if they had lost all the world; and would give a thousand worlds, if they had them, for more of the Love of God in their souls, and fuller assurance of his Love and Communion with him. As far as words, and groans, and tears, and the very drift of a man's life, and the
expending of all that he hath, can help us to know another man's heart, so far do we know all this by others, that have lived among us. And may we not conjecture, and be strongly persuaded that these, or some of these, or someone of these, was a holy justified person?
And now Reader, if ever thou be tempted to be a Papist, I will tell thee what a task thou hast: Look on one side on the Lives of holy men among us, such as was Mr. Dodd, Mr. Paul Bayn, Mr. William Fenner, Mr. Arthur
Hildersham, Mr. Robert Bolton, Mr. Greenham, Mr. Hooker, Dr. Sibbs, Dr.
Preston, Dr. Stoughton, Mr. Perkins, with many hundreds more; Besides blessed Bradford, Glover, Sanders, Hooper, and the rest that laid down their lives in the flames in testimony against Popery; besides all the thousands that in other Nations have died by the Papists hands, because they durst not sin against God; and besides all the Learned holy Divines of other Nations, and the millions of Godly Protestants there; as also look upon all the godly that are now living, men or women, that live in most earnest seeking after God and serving him; look on those about you, inquire of others; read the writings of holy Divines: and then remember, you cannot turn Papist till you have concluded that all these are damned, and are utterly void of saving
Grace and the Love of God; If there be but one Protestant that you know, or any one of all that have been, that you take to be in a saving state, you cannot possibly turn Papist, if you know what you do. For it is essential to Popery to contradict all this.
Nay, this is not all: but think of all the Greek Church that lieth under the tyranny of the Turk, and of all the Armenians, and Abasines, and other
Christians in the world, that are more in number far then the Papists; and you must conclude, that not one of all these are saved before you can be a Papist. And is this an easy task to one that hath the heart of a man in his
breast? If you are no true Christians yourselves, dare you conclude that not one of these are true Christians? If you confess that you love not God yourselves, dare you say that among the far greater part of the Christians of the world, there is not one man or woman that loves God? This you must say if you will be a Papist.
And then on the other hand, Look on the words of Jesus Christ, and see what thanks he will give you for such a censure, Matth. 7:1-5. Judge not, that ye be not judged: for with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure you meet, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote in thy brothers eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?—Thou hypocrite! First cast out the beam out of thine own eye, and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye.] Jam. 4:12. There is one Law-giver that is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that Judgest another?] Rom. 14:1-4,10. [Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations. For one believeth that he may eat all things, another who is weak eateth herbs: Let not him that eateth despise him that eateth not; and let not him that eateth not judge him that eateth; for God hath received him. Who art thou that judgest another man's servant? To his own master he standeth or falleth; yea he shall be holden up, for God is able to make him stand. One man esteemeth one day above another, another esteemeth every day alike: Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind—But why dost thou judge thy brother, or why dost thou set at naught thy brother? We shall all stand before the Judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, as I live saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God; so then everyone of us shall give account of himself to God. Let us not therefore judge one another anymore.] Matth. 18:6. [But whosoever shall offend one
of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the Sea.] Matth. 25:34,40,45,41. [Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom—For I was hungry and ye gave me meat—Verily I say unto you, in as much at you have done it unto one of the least of these my
Brethren, ye have done it unto me.] And ver. 41. [Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire—Verily I say unto you, in as much as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.]
I will recite no more: Judge now by such passage as these, how Christ sets by one of the least of his servants: and consequently, how he will take it of you, to judge the far greatest part of his Church to be graceless and none of his Church, but such as shall be damned. And if you dare not venture on so unreasonable and inhumane a censure, against the experience of so much holiness as appeareth in them before your eyes, then you cannot be Papists:
And if you dare venture on it, I leave you to consider, whether under pretense of being the only Christians, you have not done violence to the common reason and nature of man. So much for the second proof of the Minor.
3. But I have yet another proof, that many that are no Papists are good Christians, and consequently, that Popery is a deceit, and that is the Testimony of many of their own Writers. I will not call for their testimony concerning ourselves (for we know ourselves better than they do) but concerning other Churches whom they condemn as Heretics, or that are no subjects of the Pope of Rome. And I will at this time content myself with one of many that might be cited; and that is a Monk, Burchardus that lived in the Holy Land, and having wrote a Description of it, and those that inhabit it, saith of them as followeth, p. 325,326. [And for those that we
judge to be damned Heretics, as the Nestorians, Jacobites, Maronites, Georgians, and the like, I found them to be for the most part good and simple men, and living sincerely toward God and men; they are of great abstinence, &c.
And of the Roman Catholics he saith, p. 323. [There are in the Land of Promise men of every Nation under Heaven, and every Nation lives after their own Rites: and, to speak the very truth, to our own great confusion, there are none found in it, that are worse, and more corrupt in manners then
Christians] (he means Papists.) And p. 324, he tells us, that the Syrians, Greeks, Armenians, Georgians,
Nestorians, Nubians, Jubeans, Chaldeans, Maronites, Ethiopians, Egyptians, and many other Nations of Christians, there inhabit; and that some are schismatics not subject to the Pope; and others called Heretics, as the Nestorians, Jacobites, &c. but (saith he) there are many in these sects that are very simple (or sincere) knowing nothing of heresies: devoted to Christ: macerating the flesh with fasting's, and clothed with the most simple garments, so that they far excel the very Religious of the Church of Rome.] so you hear an Adversaries testimony.
Well then, when a Papist can prove to me, that I love not God, contrary to my own experience of myself: and when he can make me believe that no one of all the holy Heavenly Christians of my acquaintance, Ministers, or people, are in a state of charity or Justification: and that no one Christian on earth shall be saved but a Papist, then I will turn Papist: And till then they do not desire me to turn. But I must solemnly profess that this belief is so difficult to me, and abhorred by my reason, and my whole heart, and so contrary to my own knowledge, and to abundant evidence, and to all
Christian charity, that I think I shall as soon be persuaded to believe that I
am not a man, and that I have not the use of sense or reason, or that Snow is black, and the Crow white, as to believe this Essential point of Popery. I should a hundred times easier be brought to doubt whether I have the love of God myself, then to conclude all the Christians in the world save the Papists, to be the heirs of damnation.