The triall of religions with cautions to the members of the Reformed Church against defection to the Roman / by Fran. Gregory ...

To the Right Reverend Father in God, WALTER Lord Bishop of Worcester, and Dean of his Ma∣jestie's Chappel, &c.

MY LORD,

'TIS well known to every man that hath the least Ac∣quaintance with our late and modern Historians or Divines, that the Adversaries of our Faith have been very Industrious and Active, ever since the happy Reformation of our Religi∣on, to reduce the Superstitions of the Roman Church once more into Ours. That such Attempts may not onely be still continued, but prosecuted with greater

Vigour, the Emissaries of Rome, ta∣king occasion from our late Confusions and present Indulgence, have encou∣raged themselves to come amongst us, as all men believe, in unusual numbers, though not without their wonted Dis∣guise and Vizards. What their Busi∣ness is, no man is ignorant; and that they want no Arts to carry on their Designs, who doth not know? If Flat∣tery and Courtship can prevail with Persons of Quality; if external Pomp and Pageantry can prevail with our Ladies of Honour; if Ostentation and shews of Devotion can prevail with Religious and Pious Souls; if Indul∣gence and Liberty can move the man of Pleasure; if Gold and Silver can tempt the Poor; if Promises of Par∣don can work upon and win over the Guilty; if Sophistry and Fallacies can

perswade the Weak and Ignorant, they want them not.

But certainly, that which gives our Enemies the greater Advantage a∣gainst us is, the gross Ignorance and de∣sperate Debauchery of this unhappy Age wherein we live; the Ignorant Person doth not know, the Debauched Person doth not care, what Religion is best. 'Tis no difficult Task for some subtle Priest or Jesuit to reason an Ig∣norant man out of his Faith; nor is it an hard matter to perswade a Vi∣cious Person, that hath no Religion indeed, to pretend any, even the Ro∣man, if some secular Advantage doth so require.

These Confiderations might well give me just occasion to compose these Ser∣mons; wherein my present Design was, to confirm my own Parishioners in

their present Faith, and to warn them against all Temptations to the Ro∣man. That I have now made them publick, 'tis not as if I thought that the Church of England wants them: no; whosoever is acquainted with the Works of our Learned and Reverend Divines already extant, Hooker, Whitaker, Reynolds, Jewel, Laud, Morton, Davenant, Featly, and ma∣ny other, deceased or yet alive, must needs acknowledge, that as there is no Church so capable of a sound Defence as ours, so there is none better provided with it.

But yet notwithstanding, as the very little Finger may afford some Help even to the strongest Arm, so perhaps the weakest of God's Servants may lend some small Assistance towards the esta∣blishment of that Religion which is

already so well maintained with the strongest Arguments, and those ma∣naged by better Heads and Hands.

My former experiences of your Lordship's Favour have emboldned me to dedicate this Discourse to your Lord∣ship's Name; not that I think it worth your View, but that I know it wants so great a Protection. No man can blame me for chusing such a Guardian, whom the world knows to be so willing to en∣courage the Friends of True Religion, and so able to confute its Adversa∣ries. And the Truth is, I am not in the least Capacity, by any other means to testifie that cordial Respect and Ve∣neration which my self, and every man else that loves our Church, must needs have for your Lordship's inward Worth, and Personal Excellencies: nor could I think of any other way to

make a Gratefull and Publick Ac∣knowledgement of those various Obli∣gations which your Lordship hath laid upon

the meanest of God's Servants and our Churche's Sons, FRAN. GREGORY.