Synopsis papismi, that is, A generall viewe of papistry wherein the whole mysterie of iniquitie, and summe of antichristian doctrine is set downe, which is maintained this day by the Synagogue of Rome, against the Church of Christ, together with an antithesis of the true Christian faith, and an antidotum or counterpoyson out of the Scriptures, against the whore of Babylons filthy cuppe of abominations: deuided into three bookes or centuries, that is, so many hundreds of popish heresies and errors. Collected by Andrew Willet Bachelor of Diuinity.

The Protestants.

WE hold that to vow is not a thing simply forbidden Christians: but our vowes are limited and restrained: for they are either such, as directly or immediatly are referred to the worship of God, whereby wee binde our selues more straightly to serue him: and such vowes are onely of such things as are commanded and necessarily to be done: and in this sense there is but one com∣mon vow of all Christians, and that is our solemne promise made in baptisme, which the Papists denie properly to be a vow, Bellarmin, cap 19. There is another kind of vowes, that directly concerneth not the worship of God, which may be of things not commanded, of the which we will entreate in the next section. Now wee are to proue, that Baptisme is the onely proper vow of Christians, which directly toucheth the seruice and worship of God.

1 Circumcision was a generall vow of the Iewes, for thereby they bound themselues to keepe the whole law, Galath. 5.3. Ergo, Baptisme is the vowe of Christians, which commeth in the place of circumcision. And againe, it appea∣reth

by this, that because Christians transgressing, doe deserue greater punish∣ment, then Iewes or Gentiles, that they are more straightly obliged and bound by their couenant vnto God then the other: and not onely, as the Iesuite sayth, because they haue tasted more of the goodnesse of God, and so are more vn∣thankfull: for there are two parts of the couenant betweene God and vs: The Lord sayth, Thou art my people, and so enricheth them with knowledge, and e∣uery good thing: The people say, Thou art my God, Hosh. 2.23. And thus as the Lord doth couenant with them, so they doe binde themselues vnto God: The breach of which couenant, is that which stirreth vp principally the anger of God against vs.

2 Augustine vpon the 75 Psalme writeth thus: Vouete & reddite domino de•• vestro omnes communiter: Quid debemus vouere? credere in illum, sperare ab illo vitam aeternam, bene viuere, secundum communem modum: Make your vowes and pay them vnto God generally altogether. What must we vow? to beleeue in him, to hope for eternall life, to liue honestly, not to steale, not to commit a∣dulterie. These then are the common and generall dueties of Christians: no o∣ther then we promised and vowed in baptisme.