A defence of A treatise against superstitious Iesu-worship, falsely called scandalous, against the truely scandalous answer of the parson of Westminston in Sussex. Wherein also the whole structure of his Antiteichisma, so farre as it concernes the po[i]nt in controversie is overthrowne, the truth more fully cleared, and the iniquitie of that superstition more throughly detected. By M.G. the author of the former treatise, published Anno Dom. 1642

SECT. X.

NO marvell if you be not pleased with my Argument, seeing you are not pleased with your owne Syllogisme which you put in stead of mine. My argument would have served a reasonable man, seeing you desire full Syllogismes, I will not be beholding to you, but will reduce the arguments into two Syllogismes, seeing it cannot be so well contained in one.

No unjust or cruell command is Gods command. But to command all creatures to bow at the name Jesus is a cruell and unjust command. Ergo, this command is not Gods.

The minor is thus proved.

Every command that enjoynes that to be done by any that have no crea∣ted power to performe it, is a cruell and unjust command. But to com∣mand bowing at the Name Jesus injoyneth that to be done by many of the creatures, that have no created power to performe it. Ergo this is a cruell command, and so not Gods.

No reasonable man that compares your Answer to the Argu∣ment cannot but say but that your Answer is extreamely frivo∣lous. First, you make an objection which I told you I meant to prevent, God indeed may require where hee gives no speciall grace, but not if he had given no created power.

Many things here babled have beene answered before, which I now pretermit for brevities sake.

To my question, how divels, and damned soules shall bow at the name Jesus, you shuffle in your answer most pitifully, first

you say, Devills shall bow, as they confesse: Though they cal∣led him Iesus, yet you prove not that they then made a court∣sie. I acknowledge the Devills shall tremble; yet that trembling is not that kind of bowing you understand here; for you make it an act of Religion, or at least a religious ceremony. But you say they shall tremble most of all at the Name Jesus, wherein they are conquered: but what meane you by wherein here? if you meane whereby as a cause, as you must so meane, else it is nonsense, then you make the literall name to conquer them, which is Blasphe∣my, and Idolatry. No marvaile if such as you be, put all Religi∣on in bowing at the name Jesus, seeing you thinke to conquer the Devils by it. Sir, you call this name an hony name, an hum∣ble name, a poore name, Pag. 2. Sect. 2. how shall they tremble rather at this sweet name, this humble name, then at the power∣full and terrible Name Jehovah? It cannot sinke into the braines of them that have but common reason to conceive it. And sure∣ly the Devils be fooles as long as they have liberty to walke too, and fro, if ever they come to Church; for in thinking to con∣found others they confound themselves; for if once they heare Jesus named they must fall flat upon their faces for feare, as you say, which confusion they might avoyd if they come not at devotions; for if they doe, then woe be to them. And then they might alwayes avoyd trembling; for themselves need not name Jesus except they will at any time. How should they bee forced to name it? If their naming Jesus be their torment, they are mad, if they torment themselves when they may choose For my instance in damned soules, how they should bow at the Name Jesus in Hell, seeing there is no divine service in Hell; and these men hold that it is not necessary for any of us, but at such a time; we may say they, if we will, bow at other times, but then we must, because the Church commands it; and seeing there is nothing in hell but blasphemy, and these hold that when men sweare by Jesus, which is nothing so bad as the Damned blaspheming; it is no season to bow, you here cannot tell how to answer, but are intangled in the briars; and therefore cry out of blasphemy: but Sir, it is plaine blasphemy in you, as will be proved: but at length you say that bowing and blasphe∣ming will consist. They shall blaspheme, say you, because they cannot choose but bow; what preposterous foppery is here? On

earth you bow, because you mention Jesus; in hell they shall blaspheme, because they shall bow: so it seemes that bowing shall cause the blasphemy; but I wot, Sir, that they shall blas∣pheme by the name; they must first then blaspheme, how else shall they bow? Their bowing you make to bee their horrour, and trembling, in lying flat on their faces, and crouching downe under the name Jesus, as you doe the Devils: if this bee so, then surely they may escape torment if they will. If the name Jesus torment them, it must bee by mentioning, for so you understand the Text: but what need they mention it? If they doe not mention it alwayes, which were absurditie to grant, then are they not tormented alwayes; and if they be not compel∣led to mention it alwayes, they bee never compelled to doe it; if they be not compelled to it, what neede they doe it? and if they neede not doe it, what need they be tormented; seeing they bee tormented at the Name, as these men say? Yea if they should mention the name never so oft by blasphemy, in hell, how should they fulfill the Text, seeing these men hold it not necessa∣ry for us to fulfill the Text, but at publique devotion on the Lords dayes, though we may, say they, at other devotions? See∣ing then the damned are not bound to Lords dayes, and have no publike devotions, how shall they fulfill the Text, and then how shall they be damned, seeing their fulfilling the Text is by their damnation? Happy damned, if this Doctrine were true: The Pope was wont to deliver the soules out of purgatory for mony, but these will deliver the damned out of hell for no∣thing.