POPERY
CALMLY
C O N S I D E R E D.
By JOHN WESLEY, A.
-C?
LONDON: Printed by R. Hawes,
And fold at the New-Chapel, City-Road; and at the
Rev. Mr. Wtjlcy' s Preaching-Houfes, in Town
and Country, 1779.
-*>&&<*- «©&5o»- •*>>& '• «©&&©»*
To the Reader.
/N the following Tract I propofei
Fir ft, To lay down and examine
the chief Dodlrines of the Church of
-Rome: Secondly, Tofthew the natu¬
ral tendency of a few of thofe Doc*
trines : And that with all the plain-
nefs and all the calmncfs 1 can.
l Popery
POPERY CALMLY CONSIDERED.
- > * *'
SEC froN L
Of the Church, and the Rule of Faith.
I. ' | H E Papifts judge it necefiary to Salvation,
I to be fubjeft to the Pope, as the one vifible
Head of the Church.
But we read in Scripture, that Chrift is the head
of the Church, from whom the whole body is fitly
joined together. Col. ii. 19. The Scripture does
not mention any vifible head of the Church : Much
lefs does it mention the Pope as fuch : And lead of
all does it fay, that it is necefiary to falvation, to be
fubjedl to him.
2. The Papifts fay, The Pope is Chrift's Vicar,
St. Peter's SuccelTor, and has the fupreme power on
earth over the whole Church,
We anfwer, Chrifi gave no fuch power to St. Pe¬
ter himfelf. He gave no Apoftle pre-eminence over
the refi. Yea, Sr. Paul was fo far from acknow¬
ledging St. Peter*s Supremacy, that he withftood him
to the face (Gal. ii. 11.) and aflerted himfelf, not
to be behind the chief of the Apofiles.
Neither is it certain, that St. Peter was Bifhop of
Rome : No, nor that he ever was there.
' But, they fay, Is not Rome the Motherj and
therefore the Mifirefs of all Churches r"
A 2 We
( 4 )
We anfvver, No. The word of the Lord went forth
from ferufalcm. There the Church began. She
there tore, not the Church of Rome, is the mother of
all Churches.
The Church of Rome, therefore, has no right to
require any perfon to believe what fhe teaches on her
fole authority.
3. St Pa?d fays, All Scripture is given by Itifpiration
of God, and is profitable for doHrinc, for reproof for
corrcSlion, for injlrublion in righteoufnefs, that the titan
of God may be pcrfedl, throughly furnijhed unto all goad
nvorks.
The Scripture therefore being delivered by men
divinely iufpired., 4S_a rule fufficient of itfelf : So it
neither needs, nor is capaffle of, any farther addi¬
tion.
Yet the Papifls add Tradition to Scripture, and re¬
quire it to be received with equal veneration. By
Traditions they mean, " Such points of Faith and
Practice as have been delivered down in the Church
from hand to hand without writing." And for many
of thefe they have no more Scripture to fhew, than
the Pharifees had for their traditions.
4. The Church of Rome not only adds Tradition
to Scripture, but feveral entire Books ; namely Tobit
and Judith, the Book of Wifdom, Ecclcfiafiicus, Ba~
ruch, the two Books of Maccabees, and a new part of
Eflhcr and of Daniel: " Which whole books, fays
the Church of Rome, whoever rejects, let him be
accurfed."
We anfwer, We cannot but reject them. We
dare not receive them as part of the Holy Scrip¬
tures. For none of thefe Books were received as
fuch by the JczviJh Church, to whom were committed
the Oracles of God. Rom. iii. 2. Neither by the
Ancient Chriltian Church, as appears from the fix-
tieth Canon of the Council of Laodicea: Wherein
is a Catalogue of the books of Scripture, without
any mention of thefe.
As the Church of Rome, on the one hand,
adds to the Scripture, fo on the other fhe forbids
the
( 5 )
the People to read them. Yea, they are forbid to
read lb much as a Summary or Hiftorical Compen¬
dium of them in their own tongue.
Nothing can be more inexcufable than this.
Even under the Law, the people had the Scriptures
in a tongue vulgarly known. And they were not
only permitted, but required to read them ; yea,
to be conftantly converfant therein. Deut. vi. 6, &c.
Agreeable to this, our Lord commands to Search the
Scriptures : Aild St. Paul directs, that his Epifile he
read in all the Churches, i Theft". v. 27. Certainly
this Epiftle was wrote in a tongue which all of them
underftood.
But they fay, " If people in general were to read
the Bible, it would do them more harm than gocd."
Is it any honour to the Bible to fpeak thus ? But
fuppoling lbme did abufe it, is this any lufficient
realon for forbidding others to ufe it ? Surely no.
Even in the days of the Apollles, there were fome
unjlable and ignorant men, who wreficd both St. Paul's
Epifile s, and the other Scriptures to their own deftruc-
tion. But did any of the Apollles, on this account,
forbid other Chriftians to read them? You know
they did not: They only cautioned them, Not to be
led away by the error of the wicked. And certainly
the way to prevent this, is, not to keep the Scrip¬
tures from them : (For they were written for our
learning:) But to exhort all to the diligent peruial
of them, left they Ihould err, not knowing the Scrip-
lures.
6. " But feeing the Scriptures may be mifun-
derftood, how are we to judge of the fenfe of it?
How can we know the fenfe of any Scripture, but
from the fenfe of the Church f1"
We anfvver, 1. The Church of Rome is no more
the Church in general, than the Church of England
is. It is only one particular branch of the Catho¬
lic, or Univerfal Church of Chrift, which is the
whole body of Believers in Chrift, fcattered over
the whole Earth. 2. We therefore fee no reafon,
to refer any matter in difpute to the Church ot
A 3 Rome
( 6 )
Rome, more than any other Church : Especially
as we know neither the Biftiop nor the Church of
Rome, is any more infallible than ourlelves. 3.
In all cafes/the Church is to be judged by the
Scripture, not the Scripture by the Church. And
Scripture is the beft Expounder of Scripture.
The bell way therefore to underftand it, is care¬
fully to compare Scripture with Scripture, and
thereby learn the true meaning of it.
SECT. II.
Of Repentance and Obedience.
l.rpHE Church of Rome teaches, " That
| the deenelf Repentance or Contrition, a-
vavls nothing without Confeffion to a Pried : But
that with this, Attrition, or the fear of Hell, is
lufficient to reconcile us to God."
This is very dangeroufly wrong, and flatly con¬
trary to Scripture. For the Scripture fays, A bro¬
ken and contrite Heart, thou, O God, wilt not defpife,
Pf. li. 17. And the fame texts which make Contri¬
tion lufficient without Confeffion, fhew that Attri¬
tion even with it is lufficient. Now as the former
Doftrine of the Infufficiency of Contrition without
Confeffion, makes that necelfary which God has
not made necelfary, fo the latter, of the fufficiency
of Attrition with Confeffion, makes that unnecef-
fary which God has made necelfary.
2. The Church of Rome teaches, " That Good
Works truly merit eternal Life."
This is flatly contrary to what our Saviour tea¬
ches : JJ ben ye have done all tbofe things that are com-
mandedyou, fay, li e arc unprofitable ferwants: ice
have done that which was our duty to do. Luke xvii.
10. A Command to do it, Grace to obey that
Command, and a far more exceeding and eternal
weight of glory, mult for ever cut off all pretence of
Merit from ail human Obedience.
That
Tfe
( 7 )
3. 1 hat a Man may tr.uly and properly merit
Hell, we grant ; altho' he never can merit Hea¬
ven. But if he does merit Hell, yet according to
the Doftrine ot the Church of Rome, he need ne¬
ver go there. For " the Church has power to grant
him an Indulgence, which remits both the Fault and
the Punifhtnent."
Some or rliefe Indulgences extend only to fo ma¬
ny Days ; fome to fo many Weeks. But others ex¬
tend to a Man's whole Life. And this is called, a
Plenary Indulgence.
Thefe Indulgences are to be obtained, by going
Pilgrimages ; by reciting certain Prayers : or
(which is abundantly the mod common way) by
paying the dated Price of it.
Now can any thing under Heaven be imagined
more horrid, more execrable than this ? Is not this
a manifed proditution of Religion to the bafed Pur-
pofes ? Can any poffible method be contrived, to
make Sin more cheap and eafy ? Even the Popifh
Council of Trent acknowledged this abufe, and con¬
demned it in drong terms. But they did not in any
degree remove the Abufe which they acknowledged.
Nay, two of the Popes under whom the Council fat,
Pope Paul the Third and Julius the Third, pro¬
ceeded in the fame courfe with their Predeceifors
or rather exceeded them. For they granted to
fuch of the Fraternity of the Holy Altar, as vidted
the Church of St. Hilary of Chart res, during the fix
Weeks of Lent, feven hundred and feventy-five
thouland, feven hundred years of Pardon.
4. This miferable dodtrine of Indulgences is
founded upon another bad Dodfrine, that of ll'orks
of Supererogation. For the Church of Rome teaches,
That there is " an overplus of Merit in the Saints;
and that this is a treafure committed to the
Church's cuftody, to be difpofedas fhe fees meet."
But this Dodtrine is utterly irreconcileable with
the following Scriptures. The fujferings of the pre -
fent time are not •wortly to be compared with the glory
that Jhall be revealed in us. Rom. viii. iS. And,
Every
( 8 )
Evtry one of us Jkatt give an account of bimfelfU) God.
a Cor. iv. 17. For if there be no companion be-
twixt the Reward and the Sufferings, then no one
has Merit to transfer to another. And it every
one muft give an account of himfelf to God, then
no one can be faved by the Merit ot another. But
fuppofe there were a fuperabundance of Merits 111
the Saints, yet we have no need of rbem, feeing
there is fuch an infinite value in what Chrift hath
done and fuffered for us: Seeing He alone hath by
one offering perfefted for ever them that are fan £1 fed.
Heb. x. 14.
g. But where do the fouls of thofe go after
Death, who die in a ftate of Grace ; but yet are
nor fufficiently purged from fin, to enter into Hea¬
ven ?
The Church of Rome fays, " They go to Pur¬
gatory, a purging fire near Hell, where they con¬
tinue till they are purged from all their Sins, and
fo made meet for Heaven."
Nay, that thofe who die in a Stare of Grace,
go into a place of torment, in order to be purged
in the other world, is utterly contrary to Scripture.
Our Lord faid to the penitent thief upon the crofs,
To day Jhalt thou be with me in paradifc. Now if a
purgation in another world were neceflary for any,
he that did not repent and believe till the laft hour
of his life, might well be fuppofed to need it .: And
confecjuently ought to have been lent to Purgatory,
not to Paradife.
6. Very nearly a-kin to that of Purgatory, is
the Dodfrine of Lembus Patrum. For the Church
of Rome teaches, that " Before the Death and Re-
furredtion of Chriff, the fouls of good men depart¬
ed, were detained in a certain place, called Linibus
Patrum, which is the upperinoft part, of Hell.
The lowermoff, they fay, is the place of the Damn¬
ed: Next above this, is Purgatoiy: Next to that,
Limbus Infantum, or the place where the Souls of
Infants are."
It
( 9 )
It might fuffice to fhy, there is not one word of
all this in Scripture. But there is much againft it.
We read that Elijah was taken up into Heaven, (2
Kings ii. 1 t.) And he and Alofcs appeared in glory•
(Matt. xvii. 2.) And Abraham is reprefented as in
Paradife (Luke xvi. 22.) the blefled abode of Good
Men in the other world. Therefore none of thefe
were in the Limbus Patrum. Confequently if tho
Bible is true, there is no fuch place.
SECT. III.
Of Divine Worjhip.
I. '"l iHE Service of the Roman Church con-
I filts of Prayers to God, Angels and
Saints, of Leflbns and of Confeflions of Faith.
All their Service is everywhere performed in the
Latin tongue, which is no where vulgarly under-
ftood. Yea, it is required, and a curfe is de¬
nounced againft all thole who lay, it ought to be
performed in the vulgar tongue.
This irrational and unfcripttiral PradticO, de-
flroys the great End of Public Worlhip. The end
of this is, the Honour of God in the edification of
the Church. The Means to this end is, to have
the Service fo performed as may inform the mind
and increafe Devotion. But this cannot be done
by that Service which is performed in an unknown
tongue.
What St. Paul judged of this, is clear from his
own words. If I know not the meaning of the voice
(of him that ipeaks in a public aflembly) he that
fpeaketh frail be a barbarian to me. 1 Cor. xiv. 11.
Again, If thou f:alt blcfs by the Spirit (by the gift of
an unknown tongue) how Jhall the unlearned fay,
Amen ? ver. xvi. " How can the people be profited
by the LelTons, anfwer at the llefponfes, be de¬
vout in their Prayers, confels their Faith in the
Creeds, when they do not underftand what is read,
prayed,
( IO )
prayed, and confefl'ed ? It is inanifeft then, that
the having any part of Divine Worfhip in an un¬
known tongue is as flatly contrary to the W ord of
God, as it is to Reafon.
2■ From the Manne" of Worfhip in the Church
of Rome, proceed we to the ObjeSlt of it. Now
the Romanijis worfhip, befides Angels, the Virgin
Mary, and other Saints. They teach, that An¬
gels, in particular, are to be " worfhipped, in-,
voked, and prayed to." And they have Litanies
and other Prayers cotnpofed for that purpofe.
In flat oppofition to all this, the words cf our
Saviour are, Thou Jlmlt worjhip the Lord thy God,
and him only Jhalt thou fcrve, To evade this, they
fay, " The worfhip we give to Angels is not the
fame kind with that which we give to God." Vain
words ! What kind of Worfhip is peculiar to God,
if Prayer is not.? Surely God alone can receive all
our Prayers, and gi e what we pray for. We ho¬
nour t^ie Angels, as they are God's Miniflers; but
we dare not worfhip or pray to them. It is what
they themlelves refufe and abhor. So, when St.
John fell down at the Jeet of the Angel to worjhip him,
he faid, See thou do it not. I am-thy fellow fer-vant:
worfhip God ! Rev. xix. 10,
3. The Romanifs alfo worfhip Saints. They
pray to them as their Interceflors. They confels
their Sins to them : they offer incenfe and make
vows to them. Yea they venerate their very Ima¬
ges and Relics.
Now all this is diredliy contrary to Scripture.
And firft, the worfhipping them as Interceflors.
For as there is hut One God to us, thai' there are gods
many and lords many: So, according to Scripture,
there is but One Inrerceflbr or Mediator to us.
(1 Cor. viii. g.) Arid fuppofe the Angels or Saints
intercede for 11s in Heaven, yet may we no more
worfhip them, than becaufe there are gods jnany on
earth, we may worfhip Them as we do the true
God,
The
( « )
The Romanifs allow, " There is only one Me¬
diator of Redemption but fay, " There are many
Mediators of Interceffion."' We anfwer, The
Scripture knows no difference between a Mediator
of Interceffion and of Redemption. He alone <who
died and rofe again for us, makes intercejjion for us at
the right hand of God. And he alone has a right to
bur Prayers," nor dare we addrefs them to any
other.
4. The Worfhip which the Romanijls give to the
Virgin Mary, is beyond what they give either to
Angels or other Saints. In one of their public
Offices, they fay, " Command thy Son by the
right of a Mother." They pray to her, to " loofe
the bands of the guilty, to bring light to the
blind, to make them mild and chafte, and to caufe
their hearts to burn in love to Chrifl."
Such Worfhip as this cannot be given to any
Creature, without grofs, palpable Idolatry. IVe
honour the bleffed Virgin, as the Mother of the
Holy Jefus, and as a perfon of eminent piety*
But we dare not give Woifhip to Her j for it be¬
longs to God alone.
Meantime we cannotbutwonder at the application
which the church of Rome continually makes to Her,
of whofe Adls on Earth the Scripture fo fparingly
fpeaks. And it fays nothing of (what they fo pom-
pQufly celebrate) her Affiimption into Heaven, or
of her Exaltation to a throne above Angels or
Archangels. It fays nothing of her being " the
Mother of Grace and Mercy, the Queen of the
Gate of Heaven," or of her " Power todeftroy all
Herelies," and bring " all things to all."
g. The Romanijls pay a regard to the Relics of the
Saints alio -x which is a kind of Worfhip. By Re¬
lics they mean the Bodies of the Saints, or any
remains of them, or particular things belonging or
relating to them when they were alive ; as an Arm
or Thigh. Bones, or Afhes ; or the Place where,
or the Things by Which they fuffered. They vene¬
rate thefe, in order to obtain the help of the Saints.
And
( *2 )
And they believe ct by thefe many benefits arc con*
ferred on mankind : that by thefe relics of the
Saints, the fick have been cured, the dead raifed,
and devils call out."
We read of good King Hezekiab, That be brake
in pieces the brazen Jirpent ivbicb Mojes bad made. 2
Kings xviii. 4. And the reafon was, becaufe the
children of Ifracl burnt incenfe to it. By looking
xip to this, the people bitten by the fiery ferpents
had been healed. And it was preferved from ge¬
neration to generation, as a memorial of that di¬
vine operation. Yet when it was abufed to Ido¬
latry, he ordered it to be broke in pieces. And
were thefe true Relics of the Saints, and did they
truly work thefe miracles, yet that would be no
fufficient caufe for the Worlhip that is given them,
Rather this Worlhip would be a good reafon, ac¬
cording to HezckiaR s Practice, for giving them a
decent interment,
6. Let us next confider, what reverence the
Church of 'Rome requires to be given to Images and
Pictures. She requires, " to kifs them ; to un¬
cover the head ; to fall down before them, and ufe
all fuch poftures of worlhip as they would do to
the perfons reprefented if prefent." And accord;-
ingly " the Prieft is to diredt the people to them,
that they may be worlhipped." They fay, in¬
deed, that " in falling down before the Image,
they worlhip the Saint or Angel whom it repre-
fents." Weanfwer, r. We are abfolutely forbid¬
den in Scripture, to worfnip Saints or Angels them-
felves: Secondly, We are exprefsly forbidden
" to fall down and worlhip any image or likenefs, of
any thing in heaven or earth," whomfoever it may
reprefent. This therefore is fiat Idolatry, diredtly
contrary to the Commandment of God,
7. Such likewife, without all poffibility of eva-
fion, is the Worlhip they pay to the Crofs. They
pray, that God may make the wood of the Crofs,
to "be the liability of faith, an increafe of good
■works, the redemption of fouls. They ufe all
ex-
' ( IS )
expreflions of Outward Adoration, as kifTing and
falling down before it. They pray dire&ly to it,
to " increafe grace in the ungodly, and blot out
the fins of the guilty." Yea, they give Latria to
it. And this they themfelves fay *' is the Sove¬
reign Worfhip that is due only to God."
But indeed they have no authority from Scrip¬
ture, for their dillindtion between Latria and Du-
lia ; the former of which they fay, is due to God
alone, the latter that which is due to Saints. But
here they have forgotten their own difiindtion.
For altho'they own Latria is due only to God, yet
they do in fadt give it to the Crofs. This then by
their own account, is fiat Idolatry.
8. And fo it is, to reprefent the blefied Trinity
by Pictures and Images and to worfhip them. Ye
thefe are made in every Romijh Country, and re¬
commended to the People to be worfhipped : Al¬
tho' there is nothing more exprefsly forbidden in
Scripture, than to make any image or rep re fen ta-
tion of God. God himfelf never appeared in any
bodily fhape. The reprefentation of the Anticut of
Days mentioned in Daniel, was a mere prophetical
figure, and did no more literally belong to God,
than the eyes or ears that are afcribed to him in
Scripture.
SECT. IV.
Of the Sacraments.
H E Church of Rome fays, " A Sacra¬
ment is a fenfible thing inflituted by
God himfelf, as a Sign and a Means of Grace."
" The Sacraments are feven, Baptifm, Confir¬
mation, the Lord's-Supper, Penance, Extreme
Undlion, Orders, and Marriage."
*l The parts of a Sacrament are, the Matter,
and the Form, or Words of Confecration. So in
Baptifm, the Matter is Water; the Form, I baptize
thee. &c."
1 B On
( H )
On this we remark, Peter Lombard lived about
1140 years after Chriit. And he was the firll that
ever determined the Sacraments to be feven. Sr.
Aujlin (a greater than he) pofitively affirms,
" That there are but two of Divine Inftitution."
Again, To fay That a Sacrament confilts of
Matter and Form, and yet either has no Form, as
Confirmation and Extreme Undlion (^neither of
which is ever pretended to have any form of words,
inliituted by God himfelf) or has neither Matter
nor Form., as Penance or Marriage, is to make
them Sacraments and no Sacraments. For they do
not anfwer that definition of a Sacrament which
themfelves have given.
2. However, they teach, that lc all thefe feven
confer Grace ex opere operate, by the work itfelf, on
all fuch as do not put an obifrudfion." Nay,
it is not enough, that we do not put an obftruflion.
In order to our receiving Grace, there is alfo re¬
quired previous Inffruftion, true Repentance, and a
degree of Faith. And even then the Grace does not
fpring merely ex cpere operato : It does not proceed
from the mere Elements, or the words fpoken:
But from the Bleffing of God, in confequence of
his Promife to fuch as are qualified for it.
Equally erroneous is that Dodtrine of the Church
of Rome, that " in order to the validity of any Sa¬
crament, it is abfolutely neceffitry the perfon who
adminifters it, ffiould do it with an holy Intention."
For it follows, that wherever there is not this In¬
tention, the Sacrament is null and void. And fo
there is no certainty, whether the Pried, lb called,
be a real Prieft : tor who knows the intention of
him that ordained him ? And if he be not, all his
Minilfrations are of courie null and void. But if
1 e be, can I be iure that bis intention was holy, in
a Ami ni firing the Baptifm or the Lord's-Supper ?
And it it was not, they are no Sacraments at all,
and all our attendance on them is loll labour.
3. So much for the Sacraments in general, let us
now proceed to particulars.
" Baptifm
( J5 )
" Baptifm, fay the Romanifis, may in cafe of ne-
ceffity be adminiftered by Women, yea by Jews, In¬
fidels, or Heretics." No : our Lord gave this Com-
miffion only to the Apoftles, and their Sueceflors in
the Miniftry.
_ The Ceremonies which the Romanifis ufe in Bup-
tifm are thefe :
Before Baptifm, i. Cbrifm, that is, Oil mixed
with water is to be confecrated. 2. Exorcifm, that
is, the Prieftis to blow in the face of the Child,
faying, " Go out of him, Satan !" 3. He crojfes
the forehead, eyes, breaii, and feveral other parts
of the body. 4. He puts exorcifed Salt into his
mouth, faying, " Take the Salt of Wifdom. 3.
He puts Spittle in the palm of his left-hand, puts
the fore-finger of his right hand into it, and a-
noints the Child's nofe and ears therewith, who is
then brought to the water.
After Baptifm, firft, he anoints the top of the
Child's head with Chrifm, as a token of Salvation :
Secondly, he puts on him a white Garment, in
token or his Innocence, and Thirdly, he puts a
lighted Candle into his hand, in token of the light
of faith.
Now what can any man of underftanding fay,
in defence of thefe idle Ceremonies, utterly un¬
known in the Primitive Church, as well as un-
fupported by Scripture ? Do they add Dignity to
the Ordinance of God ? Do they not rather make
it contemptible ?
4. The Matter of Confirmation is the Chrifm,
which is an ointment confecrated by the Bifhop.
The Form is, the words he ufes in eroding the fore¬
head with the Chrifm, namely, " I fign thee with
the fign of the Crofs, and confirm thee with the
Chrifm of Salvation, in the name of the Father,
Son, and Holy Ghoft."
Then the perfon confirmed fetting his right foot
on the right foot of his Godfather, is to have his
Head bound with a clean Headband : Which after
fome days is to be taken off and referved till the
next Alh-wednefday to be then burnt to holy Afhes.
B 2 The
( 16 )
The Roman Catechifm fays, " Sacraments can¬
not be inftituted by any befide God." But it muft
be allowed, Chrift did not inftitute Confirmation,
therefore it is no Sacrament at all.
£. We come now to one of the grand Dodfrines
of rhe Church of Rome, that which regards the
Lord's-Supprr. This therefore we would wifh to
confider with the deepeft attention. They fay,
" In the Lord's Supper, whole Chrift is really,
truly, and fubftantially contained; God-Man,
body and blood, bones and nerves, under the ap¬
pearance of bread and wine."
They attempt to prove it thus, " Our Lord
himfelt lays, Tbis is my body. Therefore upon
Confecration, there is a converfion of the whole
fubftance of the Bread, into the'whole fubftance of
Chrift's Body, and of the whole fubftance of the
Wine into the fubftance of his Blood : And this we
term Tranfubjlantiation."
" Yet we muft not fuppofe, that Chrift is bro¬
ken, when the Hoft (or confecrated Bread) is bro¬
ken : Becaufe there is whole and entire Chrift,
under the fpecies of every particle of bread, and
under the fpecies of every drop of wine."
We anfwer. No fuch Change of the bread into
the body of Chrift, can be inferred from his words,
This is my body. For it is not faid, " This is changed
into my body ; but This is my body : Which if it were
to be taken literally, would rather prove the fub¬
ftance of the bread to be his body. But that they
are not to be taken literally is manifeft, from the
words of St. Pauly who calls it bread, not only be¬
fore, but likewife after the Confecration, I Cor.
x. 17. chap. 11. ver. 26, 27, 28. Here we fee,
that what was called his body, was bread at the fame
time. And accordingly thefe Elements, are called
by the Fathers, "the Images, the Symbols, the Fi¬
gure of Ch rift's Body and Blood."
Scripture and Antiquity then are flatly againft
Tranfubftantiation. And fo are our very fenfes.
Now our Lord himfelf appealed to the fenfes of
his
( 17 )
his Diiciples, Luke xxiv. 39. Handle and fee me;
for a fpirit hath not fcjh and bones, as ye fee me have.
Take away the teftimony of our fenfes, and there
is no difcerning a Body from a Spirit. But if we
believe Tranfubftantiation we take away the tefti¬
mony of all our fenfes.
And we give up our Reafon too. For if every
particle of .the Holl, is as much the whole body of
Chrift, as the whole Hoft is before it is divided,
then a whole may be divided, not into Parts, but
into AVholes. For divide and fubdivide it over
and over ; and it is whole ftill ! It is whole before
the divifion ; whole in the divifion ; whole after
the divifion! Such nonfenfe, ablurdity, and felf-
contradidlion all over is the dodlrine of Tratifub-
ftantiation !
6. An evil Pradlice attending this evil Dodtrine
is, The depriving the Lady of the Cup in the Lord's
Supper. It is acknowledged by all, that our Lord
inftituted and delivered this Sacrament in loth kinds :
giving the Wine as well as the bread, to all that
partook of it : And that it continued to be fo deli¬
vered in the Church of Rome for above a thoufand
years. And yet notwithftanding this, the Church
of Rome now forbids the people to drink of the Cup I
A more infolent and bare-faced Corruption, can¬
not eafily be conceived.
Another evil pradlice in the Church of Rome,
utterly unheard of in the Antient Church, is that
when there is none to receive the Lord's Supper,
the Prieft communicates alone. (Indeed it is not pro¬
perly to communicate, when one only receives it.)
This likewife is an abfolute Innovation in the
Church of God.
But the greateft abufe of all in the Lords Sup¬
per, is, the •voorfsipping the confccrated bread. And
this the Church of Rome not only pradtices, but
pofitively enjoins. Thefe are her words, " I he
fame fovereign Worlhip which is due to God, is
due to the Hoft. Adore it : Pray to it. And_ who¬
mever holds it unlawful fo to do, let him be ac-
curfed."
B3
The
( '8 )
The Rontanifs thelnfelves grant, that if Chrifl is
not corporally prefent in the Lord's Supper, this is
Idolatry. And that he is not corporally prefent
any where but in Heaven, we learn from ACts il.
xi. ch. iii. 21. Thither he went, and there he
will continue, till the time of the rcfuifcdlion of all
things.
7. Confider we now what the Romanifs hold,
concerning the Sacrament of Penance.
" The Matter of the Sacrament of Penance is,
Contrition, Confedion, and Satisfaction ; the Form,
I abfolvc theeP
We objeCt to this : You fay, *' The matter of a
Sacrament is fomething ienlible," perceivable by
our fenfes. But if fo, Penance is not a Sacrament.
For furely Contrition is not fomething perceivable
by the ouuVard fenfes!
Again ; they fay, " Confedion is a particular
difcovery of all mortal fins to a Pried with all their
circumdances, as far as they can be called to ntiiid,
without which there can be no forgivenefs or falva-
tion."
We anfwer, Altho' it is often of ufe, to confefs
our tins to a Spiritual Guide, yet to make confef-
fing to a Prieif necedary to forgivenefs and falva-
tion, is tcach:ng for doSlrines the commandment of
men. And to make it necedary in all cafes is to lay
a dangerbus fnare both for the Confedor and the
confeded.
They go on, 44 The Sentehce pronounced by
the Prieft in Abfolution, is pronounced bv the
judge himfelf. All the fins of the linner are there¬
by pardoned, and an entrance opened into heaven."
We cannot allow it. We believe the Abfolutiofi
pronounced by the Pried, is only declarative and
conditional. For judicially to pardon fin and ab*
folve the finner, is a power God has referved to
himfelf.
Once more. You fay, " Satisfaction is a Com-
penfation made to God by Alms, &c. for all offen¬
ces committed againft him."
We
( *9 )
Weanfwer I. It cannot lie, that we Ihould
tisfy God, by any of our works. For i. Nothing
can make fatisfa&ion to Him, but the obedience
and death of his Son.
8. We proceed to what they call, " The Sa¬
crament of Extreme UnSlion. " The Matter, they
fay, of Extreme Undion is, Ojl confecrated by ■
the Bifltop, and applied to the Eyes, Ears, Mouth,
Hands, Feet, and Reins of a perfon fuppofed to be
near death. The Form is, " By this holy Anoint¬
ing, God pardon thee for whatever thou haft of¬
fended by the Eyes, Ears, Mouth, or Touch.'1'
We reply. When the Apoftles were fent forth
they anointed with oil many that were Jick and healed
them; (Mark vi. 13.) tiling this as a fign of the
miraculous Cures to be wrought. And St. James
accordingly directs, Is any Jlck among you ? Let him
call for the ciders of the Church, let them pray over him-,
anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And
the Prayer of faith [hall fave the fck. (ch. v. ver. 14,
15.) But what has this to do with the Extreme Unc¬
tion of the Church of Rome f In the firft Church
this Anointing was a mere Rite : In the Church
of Rome it is made a Sacrament! It was ufed in the
firft Church for the Body : it is ufed in the Church
of Rome for rhe Soul. It was ufed then, for the
Recovery of the lick ; now, for thofe only that are
thought pall: recover)'. It is eafy therefore to fee,
that the Roniilh Extreme Undion has no founda¬
tion in Scripture.
g. We are now to consider, what the Church of
Rome delivers concerning Ordination. " This, fays
fhe, is properly a Sacrament. He that denies it,
let him be accurfed."
(( The Orders received in the Church of Rome
arefeven: The Prieft, the Deacon, the Suhdeacon,
the Acolythus, to carry the Candle, the Exorcijt.'
to call out Devils, the Reader and the Door-keeper.
On this we obferve, it is not worth difputmg,
whether Ordination Ihould be called a Sacrament or
not. Let the word then pafsj but we objed to
( 20 )
the thing ; there is no Divine Authority for any
Order under a Deacon. Much lei's is there any
Scriptural Authority, for the forms of Conjuration
prefcribed to the Exorcilts, or for the rites pre-
fcribed in exorcifmg not only Men, Women, and
Children, but likevvife Houfes, Cattle, Milk, But¬
ter, or Fruits, fuid to be infefledwith the Devil.
10. The next'of their Sacraments, fo called, is
Marriage: Concerning which they pronounce,
«' Marriage is truly and properly a Sacrament. He
that denies it fo to be, let him be accurfed."
We anfvver, In one fenfe it may be fo. For St.
Aujiin lays, " Signs when applied to religious
things, are called Sacraments." In this large fenfe
he calls the Sign of the Crofs a Sacrament: And
others give this name to Wafliing the feet. But
it is not a Sacrament, according to the Romijh De¬
finition of the word : for it no more " confers
grace," than walking the feet or ligning with the
Crofs.
A more dangerous Error in the Church of Rome
is, the forbidding the Clergy to marry. " Thofe
that are married may not be admitted into Orders :
Thofe that are admitted may not marry : And
thofe that being admitted, do marry, are to be fe-
parated."
The Apoftle on the contrary, fays, Marriage is
honourable in all, Heb. xiii. 4. and accufes thofe
who forbid to marry, of teaching dodlrines of devils.
How lawful it was for the Clergy to marry, his di¬
rections concerning itlhew, 1 Tim. iv. 1, 3. And
how convenient, yea necelfary in many cafes it is,
clearly appears from the innumerable mifchiefs,
which have in all ages followed the prohibition
of it in the Church of Rome : Which fo many wife
and good men, even of her own Communion have
lamented.
fo't.
I have now fairly ftated, and calmly confidered
moftofthe particular DoCtrines of the Church of
Rome.
( 21 )
Rome. Permit me to add a few Confiderations of a
more general nature.
That many members of that Church have been
holy men, and that many are lb now, I lirmly be¬
lieve. But I do not know, if any of them that are
dead, were more holy, than many Protellants, who
are now with God : Yea, than fome of our own
Country, who were very lately removed to Abra¬
hams bolbm. To inllance only in. One (whom I
mention the rather, becaufe an account of his Life
is extant,) 1 do not believe, that many of them, of
the fame Age, were more holy than Thomas Waljh.
And I doubt, if any among them living now, are
more holy than fever.il Proteftants now alive.
But be this as it may. However, by the tender
mercies of God, many members of the Church of
Rome, have been, and are now holy men, not-
withftanding their Principles, yet I fear many of
their Principles have a natural tendency to under¬
mine Hoiinefs ; greatly to hinder, if not utterly to
deftroy, the elfential Branches of it; to deftroy the
Love of God, and the Love of our Neighbour,
with all Juftice, and Mercy, and Truth.
I wifh it were poflible to lay all prejudice afide,
and to confider this calmly and impartially. I
begin with the Love of God, the fountain of all
that hoiinefs, without which we cannot fee the
Lord. And what is it that has a more natural ten¬
dency to deftroy this than Idolatry ? Confequently,.
every Dodlrine which leads to Idolatry, naturally
tends to deftroy it. Butfo does a very confiderable
part of the avowed Dodtrine of the Church of Rome.
Her Dcxftrine touching the worfhip of Angels, of
Saints, the Virgin Mary in particular, touching
the worfhip of Images, of Relicks, ot the Crois,
and above all, of the Hoft, or confecrated Aftafer,
lead all who receive them to pradtife Idolatiy, flat,
palpable Idolatry, the paying that worfhip to the
Creature, which'is due to God alpne. Therefore
they have a natural tendency to hinder, if not ut¬
terly deftroy the Love of God.
( 22 )
Secondly, the Dodtrine of the Church of Rome
has a natural tendency, to hinder, if not deftroy
the Love of our Neighbour. By the Love of our
Neighbour I mean Univerfal Benevolence, tender
Good-will to all men. For in this refpedt every
child of man, every fon of Adam is our Neigh¬
bour; as we may eafily learn from our Lord's
Hiftory of the Good Samaritan. Now the Church
of Rome by aliening, that all who are not of her
own Church, that is, the bulk of Mankind, are in
a ftate of utter rejection from God, defpifed and
hated by Him that made them ; and by her bitter,
(I might fay, accurfed) Anathemas, devoting to
abfolute, everlaftlng deftrudlion, all who willingly
or unwillingly differ from her, in any jot or tittle ;
teaches all her members to look upon them with
the fame eyes that (he fuppofes God to do : to re¬
gard them as mere lire-bands of hell, vejjels oj
•wrath, fitted for definition. And what Love can
you entertain for fuch ? No other than you can be¬
lieve God to have for them. Therefore every
Anathema denounced by the Church of Rome,
a gain ft all who differ from her, has a natural ten¬
dency, not only to hinder, but utterly deftroy the
Love of our Neighbour.
Thirdly, the fame Dodrrine which devotes to
utter deftrudtion fo vaft a majority of mankind,
muft greatly indifpofe us for Ihewing them the Juf¬
tice which is due to all men. For how hard is it to
be juft to them we hate ? To render them their
due, either in thought, word, or adtion ? Indeed
we violate Juftice by this very thing, by not loving
them as ourfelves. For we do not render unto all
their due ; feeing Love is due to all mankind. If
we o*wc no man any thing befide, do we not owe this,
to love one another ? And where Love is totally
wanting, what other Juftice can be expedted?
Will not a whole train of injurious Tempers and
Paffions, of wrong Words and Adfions naturally
follow ? So plain, fo undeniably plain it is, that
this Dodtrine of the Church of Rome (to inftance
at
C 23 )
at prefent in no more) That " all but thofeof their
own Chutch are accurfed," has a natural tendency
to hinder, jea utterly to deflroy JuJlice.
Fourthly, It's natural tendency to deflroy Mercy,
is equally glaring and undeniable. We need not
ufe any reafoning to prove this : Only call; your
eyes upon matter of fad! What terrible proofs of
it do we fee, in the execrable Crufades againfl the
Alhigenfes! In thofe horrible Wars in the Holy
Land, where fo many rivers of blood were poured
out ! In the many Millions that have been butch¬
ered in Europe, iince the beginning of the Refor¬
mation : Not only in the open field, but in Pri-
fons, on the Scaffold, on the Gibbet, at the
Stake ! For how many thoufand Lives, barbarouf-
ly taken away, has Philip the Second to give an
account to God ? For how many thoufand, that in¬
famous, perfidious Butcher, Charles the Ninth of
France ? To fay nothing of our own bloody Queen
Mary, not much inferior to them. See in Europe,
in America, in the uttermofl parts of AJia, the dun¬
geons, the racks, the various tortures of the In-
quifition ! So unhappily filed, the Houfe of Mercy !
Yea, fuch Mercy as is fn the fiends in hell ! Such
mercy as the Natives of Ireland in the lall Century,
{hewed to myriads of their Proteflant Country-men !
Such is the Mercy which the dodrine of the
Church of Pome very naturally infpires!
Lallly, the Dodrine of the Church of Rome has
a natural tendency, to deflroy Truth from off the
earth. What can more diredly tend to this, what
can more incite her own members to all manner of
Lying and Falfhood, than that precious Dodrine
of the Church of Rome, That " no faith is to be
kept with Heretics ?" Can I believe one word that
a man fays, who efpoufes this Principle? I know
it has been frequently affirmed, that the Church of
Rome has renounced this D dtrine. But I afk,
When or where ? By what public and authentic
ad, notified to all the world? This principle has
been publicly and openly avowed by a whole Conn-
C 24 )
ci'l, the ever-renowned Council of Confance : (nn
Ailembly never to be parallelled, either among
Turks or Pagans, tor regard to Juitice, Mercy, and
Truth !) But when and where was it as publicly
difavowed ? Till this is done in the face of the
fun, this Doffrine muft ftand before all mankind,
as an avowed Principle of the Church of Rome.
And will this operate only toward Heretics ?
Toward the fuppoled Enemies of the Church !
Nav, where men have once learned, not to keep
faith with Hereticks, they will not long keep if to¬
wards Catholics. When they have once overleap¬
ed the bounds of Truth, a:M habituated themfelves
to Lying and Diffimulation, toward one kind of
men, will they not ealily learn, to behave in the
fame manner toward all men ? So that inftead of
■putting away all lying, they will put away all truth !
And in he ad of having no guile found in their mcuth,
there will be found nothing elfe therein !
Thus naturally do the Principles of the Roman-
if s tend to banilh Truth from among themfelves.
And have they not an equal tendency to caufe Lying
and Diffimulation among thofe that are not of their
Communion; by that Rvmlfb Principle, That Force
is to be ufed in matters of Religion ? That if men
are not of our Sentiments, of our Church, we
fhouldthuscompel them to come in ? Muft not this, in
the very nature of things, induce all thofe over
whom they have any power, to difiemble, if not
deny thofe opinions, who vary ever fo little from
what that Church has determined r And if an ha¬
bit of Lying and Diffimulation is once formed, it
will not confine itfelf to matters of Religion. It
will alfuredly lpread into common life, and tindfurc
the whole converfation.
Again, Some of the moft eminent Roman Cafu-
ifts, (whofe books are duly licenfed by the Heads
of the Church) lay it down a-s an undoubted Maxim,
That altho' malicious Lies are Sins, yet " officious
Lies, that is, Lies told in order to do good, are not
only innocent, but meritorious." Now what a
fiood-
( 25 )
flood-gate does this open for Falfhood of every
kind ! Therefore this Doarine likewife has a natu¬
ral tendency to banifti Truth from the earth.
One Doarine more of the Romijb Church, muft
not here be paft over, I mean, that of Abfolution
by a Prieft, as it has a clear direa tendency to de-
ftroy both Juftice, Mercy, and Truth, yea to drive
all Virtue out ot the world. For it a man (and not
always a very good man) has power to forgive fins:
If he can at pleafure forgive any violation, either
of Truth, or Mercy, or Juftice: What an irre-
fiftible temptation muft this be to men of weak or
corrupt minds ! Will they be fcrupulous with re¬
gard to any pleafing Sin, when they can be abfolv-
ed upon eafy terms ? And if after this any fcruple
remain, is not a Remedy for this provided ? Are
there not Papal Indulgences to be had ? Yea, Ple¬
nary Indulgences ? I have feen one of thefe which
was purchafed at Rome, not many years ago.
This fingle Doftrine of Papal Indulgences ftrikes
at the root of all Religion. And were the Church
of Rome ever fo faultlefs in all other refpe&s, yet
till this power of forgiving fins, whether by Pricjl-
ly Abfolution or Papal Indulgences, is openly and ab¬
solutely difclaimed: And till thefe practices are
totally abolifhed, there can be no fecurity in that
Church, for any Morality, any Religion, any Juf¬
tice, or Mercy, or Truth.
THE END.