But of this thing I have given an account in other places: the use I make of it now, is this; that the church of Rome is not only forward to decree things uncertain, or to take them for granted, which they can never prove; but when she is by chance or interest, or mistake, fallen upon a proposition, she will not endure any one to oppose it; and, indeed, if she did suffer a change in this particular, not only a great part of their Thomistical theology would be found out to be sandy and inconsistent; but the doctrine of transubstantiation would have no foundation. True it is, this is a new doctrine in the church of Rome; for Amularius affirms, that the apostles did consecrate only by benediction; and Pope Innocent III., and Pope Innocent IV., taught that Christ did not consecrate by the words of " Hoc est corpus meum :" so that the doctrine is new; and yet I make no question, he that shall now say so, shall not be accounted a catholic.

But the instances are many of this nature, not necessary to be enumerated, because they are notorious; and when the quæstiones disputatæ,' as St. Thomas Aquinas calls a volume of his disputations, are (at least many of them) past into catholic propositions, and become the general doctrine of their church; they do not so much insist upon the nature of the propositions, as the securing of that authority by which they are taught. If any man dissent in the doctrine of purgatory, or concomitancy, and the half-communion, then presently Hannibal ad portas ;' they first kill him, and then damn him (as far as they can). But in the great questions of predetermination, in which, man's duty, and the force of laws, and the powers of choice, and the attributes of God, are deeply concerned, they differ infinitely, and yet they endure the difference, and keep the communion. But if the heats and interests that are amongst them, had happened to be employed in this instance; they would have made a dissent in these questions as damnable as any other. But the events of salvation and damnation (blessed be God) do not depend upon the votes and sentences of men, but upon the price which God sets upon the propositions; and it

'Vide Divine instit, of the office Ministerial, sect. 7. Of the real and spir. presence, sect, 4...

would be considered, that there are some propositions in which men are confident and err securely, which yet have great influence upon the honour of God, or his dishonour, or upon good or bad life respectively, than many others, in which the pоngwтEUOVTES make more noise, and have less consideration. For these things they teach not, as the scribes, but as having authority;' not as doctors, but as lawgivers which because Christ only is, the apostles, by the assistance of an infallible Spirit, did publish his sanctions; but gave no laws of faith, but declared what Christ had made so: and St. Paul was careful to leave a note of difference, with a "hoc dico ego, non Dominus:" it follows that the church of Rome does "dominari fidei et conscientiis," "make herself mistress of faith and consciences:" which being the prerogative of God, it is part of his glory that he will not impart unto another. But this evil hath proceeded unto extremity, and armies have been raised to prove their propositions; and vast numbers of innocent persons have been put to the sword, and burnt in the fire, and exposed to horrible torments, for denying any of their articles; and their saints have been their ensignbearers, particularly St. Dominick; and an office of torment and inquisition is erected in their most zealous countries. "Nempe hoc est esse Christianum," this is the Roman manner of being Christian: and whom they can, and whom they cannot kill they excommunicate, and curse, and say they are damned. This is so contrary to the communion of saints, and so expressly against the rule of the apostle, commanding us to "receive them that are weak in faith, but not to receive them unto doubtful disputations;" and so ruinous to the grace of charity, which hopes and speaks the best, and not absolutely the worst thing in the world; and so directly opposed to Christ's precept, which commands us,' not to judge, that we be not judged ;' and is an enemy to public peace, which is easily broken with them whom they think to be damned wretches, and is so forgetful of human infirmity; and but little considers, that in so innumerable a company of old and new propositions, it is great odds but themselves are or may be deceived; and lastly, it is so much against the very law of nature, which ever permits the understanding free, though neither tongue nor hand; and

leaves all that to the Divine judgment, which ought neither to be invaded nor antedated; that this evil doctrine and practice is not more easily reproved than it is pernicious and intolerable, and of all things in the world the most unlike the spirit of a Christian. I know that against this they have no answer to oppose, but to recriminate; and say that we in the church of England do so; and hang their priests, and punish by fines and imprisonment their lay proselytes.' To which the answer need not be long, or to trouble the order of the discourse. For, 1. We put none of their laity to death for their opinion; which shows that it is not the religion is persecuted, but some other evil appendix. 2. We do not put any of their priests to death who is not a native of the kingdoms; but those subjects who pass over hence, and receive orders abroad, and return with evil errands. 3. Neither were these so treated, until by the pope our princes were excommunicated, and the subjects absolved from their duty to them, and encouraged to take up arms against them; and that the English priests returned with traitorous designs, and that many conspiracies were discovered. 4. And lastly, when much of the evil and just causes of fear did cease, the severity of procedure is taken off, and they have more liberty than hitherto they have deserved. Now, if any of these things can be said by the church of Rome in her defence, I am content she shall enjoy the benefit of her justification. For her rage extends to all, laity as well as clergy; foreign clergy as well as domestic, their own people and strangers, the open dissentients and the secretly suspected: those that are delated, and those whom they can inquire of; and own that, which we disavow; and which if we did do, we should be reproved by our own sentences and public profession to the contrary.

But now, after all this, if it shall appear that the danger is on the part of the Roman church, and safety on our side; and yet that we, in our censure of their doctrines, are not so fierce, and in our fears of their final condition not so decretory and rash; then this doctrine of theirs against us, is both the more uncharitable, and the more unreasonable.

1. That the church of Rome is infinitely confident they are in the right, I easily believe, because they say they are; and they have causes but too many to create, or to occasion

that confidence in them: for they never will consider concerning any of their articles; their unlearned men not at all, their learned men only to confirm their own, and to confute their adversaries, whose arguments, though never so convincing, they are bound to look upon as temptations, and to use them accordingly; which thing, in case they can be in an error, may prove so like the sin against the Holy Ghost, as milk is to milk; if, at least, all conviction of error, and demonstrations of truth, be the effect and grace of the Spirit of God; which ought very warily to be con sidered.

But this confidence is no argument of truth; for they telling their people, that they are bound to believe all that they teach with an assent, not equal to their proof of it, but much greater, even the greatest that can be,' they tie them to believe it without reason or proof: for to believe more strongly than the argument infers, is to believe something without the argument; or at least to have some portions of faith, which relies upon no argument; which if it be not effected by a supreme and more infallible principle, can never be reasonable; but this they supply with telling them, that they cannot err; and this very proposition itself, needing another supply (for why shall they believe this, more than any thing else, with an assent greater than can be effected by their argument?), they supply this also, with affrighting homilies and noises of damnation. So that it is no wonder, that the Roman people are so confident; since it is not upon the strength of their argument or cause (for they are taught to be confident beyond that), but it is upon the strength of passion, credulity, interest, and fear, education, and pretended authority, all which, as we hope God will consider in passing his unerring sentence upon the poor misled people of the Roman communion; so we also, considering their infirmity and our own, dare not enter into the secret of God's judgment, concerning all or any of their persons; but pray for them, and offer to instruct them; we reprove their false doctrines, and use means to recal them from darkness, into some more light than there they see; but we pass no further; and we hope that this charity and modesty will not, we are sure it ought not, be turned to our reproach, for this

is the avoxǹ nai μanpolvμíak, that toleration' of our erring brethren, and long sufferance,' which we have learned from God, and it ought to procure repentance in them; and yet if it does not, we do but our duty, always remembering the words of the great apostle, which he spake to the church of Rome," Thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art, that judgest another; for in what thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself';" and we fear, and every man is bound to do so too, lest the same measure of judgment we make to the errors of our brother, be heaped up against our own, in case we fall into any. And the church of Rome should do well to consider this; for she is not the less likely to err, but much more for thinking she cannot err; her very thinking and saying this thing, being her most capital error, as I shall afterwards endeavour to make apparent. I remember that Paganinus Gaudentius, a Roman gentleman, tells that Theodore Beza, being old, and coming into the camp of Henry IV. of France, was asked by some, 'Whether he were sure that he followed the true religion?' He modestly answered, that 'he did daily pray to God, to direct him with his Holy Spirit, and to give him a light from heaven to guide him.' Upon which answer, because they expounded it to be, in Beza, uncertainty and irresolution, he says, that many who heard him. took that hint, and became Roman catholics.' It is strange it should be so, that one man's modesty should make another man bold, and that the looking upon a sound eye should make another sore. But so it is, that in the church of Rome, very ill use is made of our charity and modesty. However, I shall give a true account of the whole affair as it stands, and then leave it to be considered.

SECTION VIII.

The Insecurity of the Roman Religion.

1. As to the security which is pretended in the church of Rome, it is confidence rather than safety, as I have already