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of life, excluding from the kingdom of heaven those who allow themselves in the contrary courfe, beds

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But in the preceding papers we have feen, that the religion of the church of Rome oppofes that of our Lord Jefus Chrift in all these refpects, though it pretends in every one of them to adhere to it. The papists profefs indeed to acknowledge one only living and true God; yet at the fame time it is notorious, that they pay more real worship and adoration to angels and faints, and even to images, than to him. And to keep up this practice, fuch thoughts are fuggested to the people's minds concerning the divine being, as are altogether unworthy of him, and inconfiftent with the honour of the one and only mediator, in whofe name we are directed to address him. Nay, the multiplicity of the prayers themselves, which are addreffed to faints and angels, begging for their interceffion, tends to make the people think concerning the kindest and most benevolent being in the world, that he is almost inexorable, and that nothing but continual importunity will prevail with him for any favour: whereas the mediation of Christ, as ftated in the New Testament, teaches no fuch thing; but encourages us, finners as we are, to go directly to God in his name, in whom he has declared himself to be well pleafed. But this one mediator is by the church of Rome overlooked, in a croud of others of her own making and mo

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Then, einstead of a strict regard to righteousness, and fobriety, the doctrines of indulgences and purgatory, and fo likewife that of abfolution, upon confeffion and fatisfaction at the will and pleasure of the priest, encourage all manner of vice and wickednefs: fince, according to thefe doctrines, a man may buy off any pu nishment, if he furvives the wicked actions he refolves upon or at the worst, can have them bought off when he is dead, if he has but money enough to leave behind himo metod

As to forbearance and brotherly kindness; the church of Rome is a fworn enemy to thefe Chriftian virtues.

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She will not bear the leaft deviation from her own traditions, decreės, and canons. She makes them all neceffary to falvation, both in this life, and that which is to come prefumptuoufly denouncing eternal damnation to those who do not punctually obferve and obey them, and cruelly destroying such of them as he can get into her own power th

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What good pretenfions the church of Rome has to be the church of Chrift, fhe fhews by fetting up another head over the church befides Chrift, inconfiftently with his legislative authority, and contrary to his own express direction.

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How little value fhe has for the fcripture, the fhews by fetting up her own traditions upon an equal footing with it. And by the fame means, and by claiming the fole authority of interpreting fcripture, fhe prevents, as much as in her lies, its being of any use to the people, even when they can get a fight of their Bibles, which for the most part is forbidden. She will not fuffer them to exercise their reafon in judging of that revelation, which he tells them God has given for their direction. No: if you will be a true member of this church, you muft give up your reafon, and even the teftimony of your fenfes too; as appears notorioufly in the affair of tranfubftantiation. And yet it is evident, that our bleffed Lord himself frequently appealed to the judgement and confcience of his hearers, concerning t the goodness and divine original of his doctrine, and always to their fenfes, as often as he wrought any miracles.

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How deftructive to all the views of true religion is the ftrefs which popery lays upon external fervices, to the neglect of what is inward and pertaining to the confcience; and how fatally this tends to harden men in their fins, and to make them refolve against the irkfome work of fubduing ill habits, and labouring after those which are truly good; is too visible to need a demonftration. But sit paibasidiwa.

How abfolutely this corrupt church is refolved upon maintaining a dominion over mens confciences, and

what

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what cruel measures fhe takes for that purpose, has been fufficiently fhewn. How contrary this domineering and cruel fpirit is to the humble and peaceful fpirit of Christianity, needs no proof, to thofe who have any ac quaintance with the books of the New Testament. And how inconfiftent it is with the peace of civil government, and even with the fafety of thofe, whether governors or people, who refufe to put themselves entirely into the priefts power; is not only evident in the nature of the thing, but notorious from hiftory, in all those cafes where the priests have thought it worth their while to. try their strength+."

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It is farther neceffary to obferve, that as the Roman catholics are fenfible how juftly thefe articles in their plain and obvious fense are objected to, and cenfured by proteftants, with the expofitions and confirmations of hem by councils, &c. they have endeavoured to evade their literal fenfe, and to give a more plaufible and ambiguous form of expreffion in their room. The most remarkable piece of this kind is entitled, "A Vindication of the Roman Catholics," being a moft folemn declaration of their utter abhorrence of the following tenets, vulgarly laid at their door, printed at London at the beginning of king James's reign, and reprinted in 1743, when an invafion was defigned against England by the pretender. It was calculated to introduce popery, by making it appear, that popery was not that horrid antichriftian thing, but in its own nature mild and gentle, and as fair as truth itfelf. The author, and the prefent editor, fay, that if the enfuing curfes be added to thofe appointed to be read on the first day of Lent, they will ferioufly and heartily anfwer Amen to them all.Pad or aba ni vitathat

Curfed is be that commits idolatry, that prays to images or relicks, or worships them for gods.

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b Refp. Amen.

Notwithstanding the readiness of the Ronian catholics to oblige themselves to answer Amen to this curfe, yet it may be worth enquiring how far they are guilty

+ Rev. Mr. Burrough's View of Popery, p. 143, 144, 145, 146.

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of this crime. Idolatry confifts in the acknowledgement of authority and dominion in fome invifible being or beings over us, which they have not. If this be attributed to faints and angels, it is idolatry.wuh i

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II. Curfed is every goddess worshipper, that believes the Virgin Mary to be any more than a creature; that honours ber, worships her, or puts his truft in her as much as in God; that believes her above her Son, or that she can in any thing command him. Refp. Amen.

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You are not charged with believing the Virgin Mary to be more than a creature, nor with worshipping her, or putting trust in her, as much as in God, but with worshipping her. Whether it be more or lefs, or as much as God, is not the point; but whether the ought at all to be worshipped. The papifts are charged with giving undue honour and worship to, and truft in her; an honour which has not the countenance of one fingle paffage in fcripture, much lefs command to do it.roq

III. Curfed is be that believes the angels or faints in beaven to be his redeemers, that prays to them as fuch, or that gives God's honour to them, or to any creature what

ever.

Refp. Amen.

I do not, I would not, charge the papifts with believing angels or faints to be their redeemers, nor do I imagine that they pray to them as fuch; what they are to be charged with is, praying to faints, praying to beings who are fuppofed ready and able to help them, without any grounds from revelation, without knowing that they have authority over us, without knowing that they can hear us, without knowing that they are permitted to help us, or intercede for us. Frms no tower IV. Curfed is be that worships any breaden god, or makes gods of the empty elements of bread and wine. you. Refp. Amen. 16 "Quno offodist In this, as in all the other preceding points, there is an equivocation. May we not word the curfe thus

Curfed

Curfed is he that worships that which before it was confeerated was bread and wine, and after confecration feems to all our fenfes to retain the fubftance of bread and wine? If this were the cafe, it would be worshipping a breaden god. What then is the difference between the confecrated bread, and the fame bread unconfecrated? You tell us of a change made in the elements by confecration, and that what before was bread is now Christ himself.

V. Curfed is be that believes that priests can forgive fins, whether the finner repents or no, or that there is any power in earth or heaven that can forgive fins, without a bearty repentance and ferious purpose of amendment.

forRefp.10 Amen.

tie In answer to this I obferve, that our author fuppofes that priests can forgive fins, if the finner does repent; he fuppofes likewife, that the finner is a believer in Chrift, and that the priest can forgive fuch a finner if he repents: how a priest that pretends to forgive the fins of a repenting Chriftian, affumes to himself a power or privileges which can never be proved to be given to him. Who can forgive fins but God alone, against whom they are committed? If therefore any priests affume to themselves a power over Chriftians to forgive them their fins, they tranfgrefs the law of Chrift under the cover of his words, which they pervert to uses of their own.

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VI. Curfed is he that believes that priests can give prefent abfolution to any perfons for fins they may commit in time to come. Refp. Amen.

This curfe, I fuppofe, is added by the editor, that it is an article of the catholic faith, to believe that no power on earth can licence men to lye, forfwear, and perjure themfelves, to maffacre their neighbours, or deftroy their native country, on pretence of promoting the catholic caufe or religion." But this is far from being cleario Suppofe your neighbour, or thofe of your native country, to be heretics, what is the catholic faith, or catholic practice, in this cafe? Is it not

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