BY Efficacy of Doctrine, must be meant either that power which the Word of God has in the Minds of Particular Men to dispose them to be∣lieve aright, and to live well; or else that suc∣cess which it has in drawing Multitudes outwardly to profess and embrace it. The former of these is too in∣ward a thing to be the Note of a true Church. No Man being able to know what the Word of God has done in anothers Heart, but instead of that apt rather to be de∣ceived in what it has done in his own.

The Second (which must be that the Cardinal means) can as little be a Note, by reason of its Uncertainty; and if we cannot be sure of the Note, we shall be less so of that, which we are to find out by it. If indeed Page  210there were nothing which could or did move Men to relinquish Heathenism, Judaism or Turcism for our Religion, but the pure Efficacy of the Christian Do∣ctrine, it would be a very good Note of the excellence of the Doctrine it self; but, according to the Cardinal's own Principles, it could be no Note that that were the true Church which preached it, since he will not allow the sincere preaching of Truth to signify any thing.* And we shall have much less reason to rely on this Note, if we consider how many other things there are besides the Efficacy of the Christian Doctrine, which have and may convert whole Nations to it.

Let us therefore at present grant in general the mat∣ter of Fact to be true, that such Conversions as the Cardinal speaks of were made by the Church of Rome; yet how shall we know that they were made purely by the Efficacy of its Doctrine, and that no other means, such as Force, &c. were used? Is it enough that he tells us so? The Bishop of Meaux tells us, that in the late great Conversion in France, not one of the Persons con∣verted suffered Violence, either in his Person or Goods; That they were so far from suffering Torments,* that they had not so much as heard them mentioned; and that he heard other Bishops affirm the same. Now if those Reve∣rend Prelats were out (as most people think they were) in a matter of Fact, of which they might be Eye-witnes∣ses; why may not the learned Cardinal be so too in his Relation of Conversions, made so many hundred years since? If he be out, his Note falls to the ground: and if it cannot be made plainly to appear to us, that he was not out, his Note, as far as it is founded upon those Hi∣stories which he produces wants that certainty, which should give us satisfaction. Historians who wrote in those obscure times, and were perhaps themselves Con∣verters, Page  211being most of them Monks, might vain-glori∣ously ascribe much to the Efficacy of their own Doctrine; and the Centuriators themselves, whom he so often quotes, might not be very curious to search, or accurate to relate the chief motives of their Conversions, because they wrote before the Cardinal had made Efficacy of Doctrine a Note of the true Church, and little dream't what odd use some Men would make of their History. But notwithstanding these Neglects and Disadvantages, I do not doubt, but that if we look'd back into the Wri∣ters of those Times, nay even into the Centuriators themselves, we should find some other things besides Efficacy of Doctrine concurring to the Conversions which were then wrought. An instance whereof (to pass by at present the particular examination of those mentioned by the Cardinal) we have in those Conver∣ons wrought by Charles the Great, to whose victorious Arms they were more to be ascribed than to any thing else besides. For (not to mention that the Clergy were not then in any great capacity of doing much by the Effica∣cy of their Doctrine, the Bishops being so ignorant, that they were to be commanded to understand the Lord's Prayer, and could hardly be brought to make some few exhortations to the People, but instead of that turned Souldiers, to shew that they were willing to do somewhat towards the propagating their Religion) such was the Zeal of that Prince rather to defend and increase the Kingdom of Jesus Christ,* than to inlarge his own Em∣pire; that Peace could never be obtained of him upon other ther Terms, than that those who were conquered by him, having left their Idol-worship, should embrace the true,* sincere and eternal Religion of Christ. And to engage them to con∣tinue firm to it, he sometimes took Hostages of them, and finding them begin to apostatize (which they as Page  212often did, as they thought themselves able to make head against their Conquerors) he was forc'd to set up a kind of Inquisition to keep them in aw, which Mezeray tells us lasted in Westphalia till the 15th Century. Now when the Swords of victorious Princes, as it happened in this case, had made way for the preaching of the Gospel; when the receiving of it was often made one of the Terms they who were conquered must necessarily submit to, the Monks had very easy work; what-ever Doctrine they had preached might have been efficacious under such Circumstances. So that when there is with the Christian Doctrine a concurrence of many other things which have so strong an influence upon humane Nature, 'tis hard, nay impossible for us to know which of them does the work. When different Medicines proper for the same Distemper are administred at the same time, 'tis not easy to say which of them works the Cure.

There is indeed a wonderful Efficacy in the Christi∣an Doctrine: but we can never be sure that the Con∣version of a Nation is effected by that, when Hopes, and Fears, and outward Force, and necessity are in con∣junction with it.

All which is so far from detracting from the honour of our Religion, and the Conversions it made in the Primitive Times, that it sets i• it a better Light, and makes it shine the brighter. Men were converted then, not to a conquering, but persecuted Church. The Se∣cular Power was against them that preached this holy Doctrine: Much might be lost, and nothing in this World got by it. There were no rewards to encourage Men to receive it, but a thousand Difficulties and Dan∣gers to deter them from it. And then indeed the Ef∣ficacy of the Christian Doctrine was in its greatest lustre; Page  213it wrought all alone, and had nothing to put in with it for a share in the Conquests it made: The simplicity of its Preachers cleared them from all suspicion of Fraud. The little or no Interest they had in the Government, makes it plain, that they could not use force; and eve∣ry thing concurred to demonstrate that 'twas purely the Efficacy of their Doctrine by which they prevailed. But, to proceed a little more particularly to answer what the Cardinal has discoursed upon this Subject,

First, I shall endeavour to shew in the general, That the Prevalency of any Doctrine can be no Note of a true Church.

Secondly, I shall instance in such particulars, as do more particularly affect the Church of Rome in this matter, and do make it evident that the Prevalency of the Doctrine, professed in that Church, is no Note of its being a true Church.

Thirdly, I shall shew the Insufficiency of those Argu∣ments, with which the Cardinal endeavours to prove the contrary.

First, That the Prevalency of any Doctrine can be no Note of a true Church, will appear, if we consider,

• 1. What our Saviour has said in this matter.
• 2. The Nature of Mankind.
• 3. Matter of Fact.

1. Altho our Saviour sufficiently understood how much his Doctrine was likely to prevail in the World, yet he is so far from making this to be a Note of his Church, that he gives as plain intimations of the Prevalency of Error, and does often bid us take care how we are imposed up∣on Page  214on thereby. Take heed, saith he, that no man deceive you; for many shall come in my Name,* saying, I am Christ, and deceive many: For there shall arise false Christs, and false Prophets,* and shall shew great Signs and Wonders, in∣somuch that (if it were possible) they shall deceive the very Elect. When he foretells so general a Defection, he cannot be supposed to have thought the prevalency of a∣ny Doctrine to have been the Character of his true Dis∣ciples. He does indeed compare the preaching of his Gospel to a grain of Mustard-seed, which is the least of all Seeds, hut when it is grown, it is the greatest among Herbs, unto Leaven which leaveneth the whole Lump; unto a Net which gathereth of every kind. All which Comparisons do intimate how much his Church would spread far & near: but not that such its diffusiveness was to be relied upon as a Note whereby to find it; for by that Mark it could not then have been found when it was but a little Flock. Besides that, in the same Chapter, he compares likewise the preaching of his Gospel to a Man which sowed good Seed in his Field;* but while Men slept, his Enemy came and sowed Tares among the Wheat, and went his way; but when the Blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then ap∣peared the Tares also. In which case if we were to judg by the growth and spreading, we might conclude the Tares to have been the best Seed, and not sown by an Enemy. He compares likewise the Ministers of his Word, to the Servants of a certain King, sent out by him to call those that were bidden to the Wedding, but to no purpose,* for they all made light of it. Intimating here∣by, how possible it is for those who are obstinate not to hearken to the most efficacious Doctrine that can be prea∣ched, the most passionate and earnest invitations which can be made them. And in the Parable of the good Seed, some of which fell by the way-side, some upon Page  215stony places, some among Thorns,* and other upon good Ground; He does plainly set forth, that let any Doctrine be never so good, the reception which it finds in the World, will be no other than what is agreeable to those Dispositions of mind which it happens to meet with. And here also, if the Rule had been, that that is the true Doctrine which grows fastest and out-tops the other, we must have given it for the Thorns, which grew up and choaked the good Seed. Which leads me to shew,

2. From the consideration of the Temper and constitution of Mankind, how weak a proof of a true Church, the prevalency of any Doctrine is which it teacheth. For Mens minds are so uncertain, by reason of the Inconstancy of their Circumstances, which chief∣ly influence them, that often Truth is shut out, where Error finds an easy admission. Humane Nature is so weak a thing, so apt to take impressions, first from this thing, then from another, that no great heed is to be given to its changes; no certain Argument can be drawn from them. Such indeed is the Power of Truth, that were Mankind freed from their Prejudices against it, were their Minds no way byassed by Interest or Passion, and at the same time fully instructed concerning it, there is no doubt to be made, but that it would generally ob∣tain. But when Mens Inclinations and Circumstances are so various, nothing is more manifest, than that the receiving, or rejecting Truth, is a thing too uncertain to be made an infallible Note of it. When it is argued on behalf of Christianity, that so many thousands were on the suddain converted to the Faith: the force of such an Argument does not lie in the bare prevalency of the Doctrine, but in its prevalency when placed in such Circumstances as it at the first preaching of the Gospel was; and when Men of mean birth and education (as Page  216has already been observed) did without force or fraud on the suddain make so many proselytes to a Religion, which was so directly contrary to those Opinions to which the World had been so long accustomed, a Reli∣gion which was likely to bring such great Inconvenien∣ces upon those who embraced it: This indeed was very remarkable, and could be ascribed to nothing but the Power of Truth, which was only able to bring about so wonderful an Effect. In a word, Men being oftner guided by Fancy, Prejudice, and Interest, than by Rea∣son makes them more capable of Error than of Truth; and when they have once received it, not only unwil∣ling to part with it, but zealous to propagate it as much as they can. The Agreeableness of any Doctrine to their wicked Lusts and Affections, is most likely to win upon them. The craft and cunning of those who lie in wait to deceive, may 〈◊〉 easily mislead unstable Minds into gross Mistakes before they are aware, 〈…〉. Force, the enjoyment of present Preferment, or the hopes of it, may make them profess what they do not believe to be true, and then seek for Reasons to defend it. Since then there are so many things beside Truth, which may induce Men to admit any Doctrine, the bare admitting of it, tho never so universally, can be no Note of the Truth of that, or of the Church that teaches it. God has endued us with a capacity of finding out Truth, but at the same time he has made us fallible Creatures, and liable to be imposed upon; so that it stands us in hand to be aware, how we are deceived; and the more care we take in a concern of this Nature, the more we dis∣cover our own Sincerity and Zeal for Truth. But let there be never such clear Discoveries thereof, it is in our power wilfully to shut our Eyes against them; nay when we have adhered to Truth for some time, we may Page  217be tempted either wholly to forsake it, or to intermin∣gle gross Errors with it. So that it is as improper to conclude the prevalency of any Doctrine to be an Argu∣ment of the Truth of it, or of the Church that profes∣seth it; as that any Cause is just because successful. Such is God's infinite Wisdom and Goodness, that as he does oftentimes bless with unexpected Success an honest and just Design, and they who are sagacious in tracing the Footsteps of Providence, do easily discover it; so does he likewise frequently exert his Power after an extraor∣dinary manner for the propagation of Truth. But on the other hand, as he often permits an unjust Design to prevail and prosper, so likewise does he suffer Error to multiply and increase. And when he does at any time exert his Power after an extraordinary manner, for the propagation of Truth, he still deals with Men as with Rational Creatures; so that such his Power may be re∣sisted, nay, may be so far resisted, as may make him pu∣nish with Infatuation such their Resistance; as he served the Pharisees upon the account of their Obstinacy, whose Eyes he blinded, and whose Heart he hardned,* that they should not see with their Eyes, nor understand with their Heart, and be converted. And as happened to those whom the Apostle makes mention of, whom because they received not the love of Truth that they might be sa∣ved,* God sent strong Delusions, that they might believe a Lie. Since therefore such is the Temper and Con∣stitution of Mankind, as to be daily subject to Errors, and to be liable, by the just Judgment of God, to be at last hardened in them, nothing can with any certainty be determined concerning the Truth of any Church from the Prevalency of any Doctrine professed in it.

3. Plain Matter of Fact shews the Insufficiency of this Note. For the Histories of all Ages make it evi∣dent Page  218what an influence Error has often had upon Mens Minds; and that altho Truth may have happened some∣times to have prevailed, yet that it has been as often refused, and gross and most impious Opinions preferr'd before it. How soon were our first Parents, when their Minds were in their greatest strength and vigor, and not as yet biassed by any Misapprehensions of things,* by the cunning Artifices of Satan tempted to believe a Lie? After which first and grand Mistake, how did their whole Stock degenerate, when every Imagination of Man's Heart being evil,* it repented the Lord that he had made Man on the Earth. Afterward God chose to himself out of the rest of the World a peculiar People, and to secure them against the Idolatry and Superstition of those who dwelt near them, he gave them particular Statutes, which by Threats, and Promises, and mighty Wonders which he wrought for them, he obliged them to observe. Yet how soon did they forget God, and turned after Idols? So that in the time of Ahab, accor∣ding to God's own account, there were but 7000 who had not bowed unto Baal. If the Efficacy of the Do∣ctrine had been a Note of the true Church, I do not see why the Priests of Baal had not as much reason at that time to have insisted upon it, as the Romish Priests can have now. At our Saviour's coming the Pharisees had infected the whole Nation with their Traditions, and so obstinately did they adhere to them, that not∣withstanding the many Miracles which our Saviour had wrought for them, notwithstanding the Holiness of his Life and Conversation, few believed on him, according to the Prophesy of Isaiah, made mention Joh. 12.38. Lord, who hath believed our Report? of which our Saviour him∣self complains John 5.43. I am come in my Father's Name, And ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own Name, him ye will receive. And in the 11th of St. Mat∣thew, Page  219ver. 20, &c. he does most severely upbraid the Ci∣ties, wherein most of his mighty Works were done, because they repented not: And does openly declare, that it would be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of Judgment, than for them. If any Doctrine was likely to have been efficacious, one would have thought the Doctrine of our Saviour, when taught by himself, had been so; and yet we find that no Prophet was ever less respected than he was, even among his own Country-men. The same thing happened likewise to St. Paul, as we read, Acts 13.45. and Act. 28.24, &c. After Christianity had for above 300 Years been strug∣ling to get ground in the World, how strangely did Arianism on the sudden prevail against it? One would have thought, that after People had for some time been confirmed in the Truth, they should not have been ea∣sily tempted to embrace so gross an Error. But yet such was the Efficacy of this Heresy, that as Theodoret relates, the Emperour Constantius in a Discourse with Liberius Bishop of Rome, urgeth it as an Argument a∣gainst his Intercession on behalf of Athanasius; Pray, saith he, how big a part of the World are you,* that you alone pretend to stand up for a wicked Man (so he called Athanasius) and to disturb the Peace of the whole World? Which the Bishop was so far from thinking a good Ar∣gument, that he immediately replied. The true Faith loseth nothing by my being alone; for there were formerly but three found who resisted the King's Commandment.* Neither did the same Heresy prevail only at home amongst the Orthodox Christians, but was likewise victorious abroad amongst the Idolatrous Nations, of which the same Author gives us a notable Instance, when he tells us that one Ʋlphilas, a Bishop of great Au∣thority amongst the Goths,* being corrupted by Eudoxius, Page  220perswaded that whole Nation to embrace it. About 300 Years after so general a defection from the true Faith by Arianism the Impostor Mahomet arose,* whose Doctrine, in the space of an hundred Years, over-run a great part both of the East and South, and did conti∣nue so far to prevail, that when Brerewood made the Computation of such as had received it, he reckons them to be six parts of thirty (into which he suppo∣seth* the whole World to be divided) whereas he allots but five parts to the whole number of Christians, of what denomination soever. As to this Particular the Cardinal urgeth that Mahumetanism is propagated by Force of Arms, and not by the Efficacy of its Doctrine. In answer to which Assertion, (besides that the World is not ignorant how little reason the Cardinal had to make this Objection, and that Mahomet must have first converted those by his Doctrine, whom he afterwards made use of to convert others by Force) I shall set down this remarkable Instance, whereby it will mani∣festly appear how much the Mahometan Missionaries, even without the assistance of any outward Force, may sometimes prove too hard for the Roman Ones. Bati King of the Tartars, having wasted the Christian Ter∣ritories, returns into Scythia, leaving all Europe in a great Consternation. Pope Innocent the 4th in the Year 1246, from the Council of Lions, sends a company of Religious Men a long Journey to him, to exhort him to worship the one living and true God, and his only Son Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the World, and to abstain from shedding Christian Blood. When the Tartar had heard the Pope's Request, he promised for five Years not to trouble the Christians.* But as soon as the Pope's Mes∣sengers were gone, some Saracens came exhorting the Tartars to embrace the Mahometan Sect rather than Page  221Christianity, and what they said had such Effect, especi∣ally upon the Emperour, that they embrac'd Mahome∣tanism, and keep to it still. In this case the two Do∣ctrines had very fair play; for the Tartars were preju∣dic'd on neither side, neither could any Force be made use of to compel them to receive one Doctrine more than the other. If either had the advantage, it was that of the Romish Church; for that had got the start, but was soon wholly rejected; and the other has ever since been embraced.

Were not those Instances which I have mention'd suf∣ficient to shew what little Judgment can be made of the Truth of any Church from the Reception which its Doctrine has met with in the World, I might here add the Conversions wrought by those of the Greek Church, whom the Church of Rome accounts Hereticks. Frumentius, sent by Athanasius, converted the Indians; Moyses, an Alexandrian Monk, the Saracens. And con∣cerning the Conversion of the Moscovites, Paulus Jovi∣us thus speaks: Above five hundred Years since, says he,* the Moscovites worship'd the Heathen Gods, Jupiter, &c. but then were they first initiated in the Christian Rites, when the Greek Bishops out of an inconstant temper began to dissent from the Latin Church, and it so happened, that the Moscovites in the same sense, and with a most hearty Belief followed those Religions Rites which they had re∣ceived from their Greek Teachers. I might likewise make mention of the great Efficacy of the Reformed Doctrine, which in the space of fifty Years, when Bishop Jewel set out the Defence of his Apology, notwithstanding the great Opposition which had been made against it, had over-run whole Nations,* and mightily prevailed even in those Kingdoms where the Princes and Governours were still Popish. The distinction which Bellarmin Page  222makes, that Hereticks do not convert Men to the true Faith,* and that the Goths were cheated into Arianism, That they pervert Catholicks is nothing to the purpose: For if by Hereticks Men may be converted or cheated into what is false; if Catholicks may be so easily per∣verted; then the Effect which any Doctrine has upon Mens Minds can be no Note of their being Members of a true Church who profess it. If the Doctrine which they who are converted have received, be a true Doctrine, this indeed is a good Note of a true Church, and we are willing to stand and fall by it; but their bare Conversion is no Note at all, because as to its be∣ing received, or not received, Error has had the same fate in the World as Truth it self has had. And of this the Cardinal himself was enough sensible, who having forgot what he had made to be the ninth Note of the Church, does repeat in an Oration at the end of his Controversies this Objection of the Reformists: How is it possible (say they) that that Doctrine should not be from God,* which in so short time has over-run so many People, Provinces, and Kingdoms? And then makes this Answer, If it be lawful to philosophise after this manner, we shall have much more reason to wonder why the Alcoran of Mahomet in so great a part of the World has so easily pre∣vailed.

Having thus in the general shewn that Efficacy of Doctrine can be no Note of a true Church, it necessarily follows, that the Efficacy of the Doctrine professed in the Church of Rome, can be no Note of its being so. But yet, that I may further shew what little reason that Church of all others has to pretend that it is the Character of its being a true Church; I desire in the second place, that these following Particulars may be considered.

1. That altho we charge the Church of Rome with many Errors and Mistakes, yet we allow it to contain in it a mixture of Truth. Now this very mixture of Truth may perhaps be of sufficient force to make Prose∣lytes; but then it does not follow, but that such Prose∣lytes may likewise have embraced the Errors which are mixed with it, as well as the Truth it self. The Indi∣ans (whose Conversion to the Romish Faith I shall speak of afterwards) were not so void of Reason, but that if they compared the Religion of their Conquerors with their own Worship, they might be perswaded to embrace the former, rather than adhere still to the latter. And altho by this means they were but half converted to the Truth, yet it was better that it should be thus, than that they should not have been converted at all; for by this means they were much nearer the reception of the whole Truth than they were formerly, which was a great advantage; and therefore we reckon those but an ill sort of Protestants, who would rather have Men Turks and Infidels than of the Romish Church. But at the same time the Conversion of never so many to Church of Rome, is no Argument of its not being a corrupted Church, as long as we can prove it to main∣tain such gross Errors as it does, altho accompanied with such a mixture of Truth, as may be of great force to bring over such as had before little or no know∣ledg thereof.

2. That the Prevalency of the Doctrine of the Church of Rome can be no Note of its being a true Church, because it is so much alter'd from what it former∣ly was. The Doctrine of the Church of Rome was in the beginning of Christianity, the same with that which was deliver'd by Christ and his Apostles to the Saints. Afterwards new Doctrines insensibly crept into, and Page  224were received by that Church, and at last Matters came to be settled as we now find them in the Council of Trent. This has been often cleared by Learned Men, and in some of those Discourses which have of late been writ,* some of the new Doctrines have been traced step by step, and the manner now they came to be re∣ceiv'd set down; and in others the Church of Rome has been compared with her self, and what was deter∣min'd by the Council of Trent, has been shown to be quite another thing from what was held some Ages ago. Now it is impossible that things that are different should be the distinguishing Character of that which is always the same. Since then I suppose it will be rea∣dily granted, that the Church of Rome has always been the true Church, the Efficacy of its Doctrine can be no Note thereof, since in some Ages those Doctrines have prevailed in it, which are directly contrary to those which have prevailed in other.

3. That the Prevalency of any Doctrine can be no Note of a true Church, where those who embrace it are hindred from thoroughly examining it. For with∣out a thorough Examination it never can be rightly un∣derstood; and what Efficacy can it have upon his Mind who does not rightly understand it? Now the Church of Rome exacts of the Members of her Communion a tame Submission to, and Compliance with whatever she proposeth to their Belief and Practice: and by forbid∣ding them the use of the Scriptures, she takes from them the use of that Rule, whereby they are to judg of the Reasonableness of her Proposals. How then can the reception of her Doctrine be a Note of her being a true Church, when perhaps not one amongst a thou∣sand of her Members who receeive it, is capable of un∣derstanding what he is bound to believe?

4. That the Prevalency of any Doctrine can be no Note of a true Church, where Art and Force are made use of to make it prevail. For it is no difficult matter for cunning Deceivers to impose upon unstable Souls; and it must be a great courage and constancy of Mind, which can make Men for-go Father and Mother, Houses and Land, &c. for the sake of Truth. Now that the Church of Rome has taken this course to pro∣pagate her Doctrines, we may be assured by some of her own Members: There are, saith Erasmus,* those who after a new Example make Christians by force, but whilst they pre∣tend the Propagation of Religion, they do in reality study the Inlargement of Riches and Power. Not unlike these are those Monks who inveigle others to take upon them their Order, and do use a great deal of cunning to insnare such as are young and unskilful, and who neither under∣stand Themselves, nor the Nature of true Religion. And Stapleton declares very freely,* Eo sane loco haereses sunt, &c. Heresies are come to that pass, that their Gordi∣an Knots are not to be dissolved by Art and Industry, but by the Sword of Alexander; and the Club of Hercules is more fit to subdue them than the Harp of Apollo. I might quote several others to the same purpose; but the con∣stant Practices of the Inquisition in those places where it is received, and the extraordinary Methods which have of late been made use of in a Neighbouring Nation to gain Proselytes, do sufficiently shew that the Church of Rome does more depend upon something else, than upon the Efficacy of her Doctrine for the making of Converts: Which will more fully appear, if in the third place we consider the insufficiency of the Car∣dinal's Arguments, which are fetched,

First, From the Scriptures.

Secondly, From what happened in the beginning of the Christian Church.

Thirdly, From the particular Instances which he gives of Conversions wrought by those of the Church of Rome.

First; As to the Scriptures which are quoted, Ps. 19.7. The Law of the Lord is perfect, converting the Soul: and Heb. 4.12. For the Word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged Sword, piercing even to the divi∣ding asunder of Soul and Spirit, and of the Joynts and Marrow, and is a discerner of the Thoughts and Intents of the Heart. It may be answer'd,

1. That the latter of these is by several Expositors in∣terpreted of the Son of God, and not of his Doctrine.

2. That if they are both interpreted of the Efficacy of any Doctrine; yet that the Efficacy which is spo∣ken of is wholly internal, as we before observ'd, and consequently such as cannot be accounted a Note of the true Church. For the Note of a Church must be what any one can come to the knowledg of.

3. Suppose by these words was to be understood the visible Prevalency of any Doctrine in the World, yet it would make nothing to the Cardinal's purpose. For that which in these SS. is said to prevail, is, The Word of God, The Law of the Lord, i. e. the true Doctrine. But we deny the Doctrine of the Church of Rome to be such; and therefore these places are not applicable thereunto.

4. Were these SS. applicable to the Church of Rome, as having that true Doctrine which is oftentimes so efficacious, yet the Efficacy here expressed could be no Note of the true Church; since altho (as has already been shewn) the true Doctrine does sometimes pre∣vail, yet it does not follow, that it always should: For it may be perverted, it may be resisted, and Error may meet with a much kinder Reception in the World than it does.

As for what Bellarmine saith in the second place, con∣cerning the Prevalency of the Christian Doctrine in the beginning of the Church, we allow it all to be true; but we do not think the Church of Rome to be more concerned in it, than any other Christian Church what∣soever. What then happened does very much confirm the Christian Doctrine in the general, but does not at all prove any particular party of Christians to be better than another, much less the Church of Rome, whose Doctrine, altho it was once the same with the Doctrine of the Primitive Church, yet what it was in the Cardinal's days, and what it is now, is quite another thing from what it was then. The Primitive Christi∣ans converted the Heathens from their Idolatry to wor∣ship the true God; but the great design of the Catho∣lick Missionaries is, to render their Proselytes intirely submissive to the Pope of Rome in all things.

I might here conclude, did not the Cardinal much in∣sist upon the particular Conversions wrought by those of the Church of Rome, upon some of which, in the third place, I shall make some brief Reflections.

Now as to the Conversion of the English by Augustin the Monk, it may be replied,

1. That the Centurists (out of whom he quotes this and the other Instances) do expresly say, that Augustin; eas Ecclesias magis deformavit quam recte instituit.*

2. That this was not such a general Conversion as seems to be pretended: for (as has been lately cleared by a very learned Man) the Faith was here planted during the Apostles times,* and in all probability by St. Paul rather than by St. Peter, or any one else. Besides Bede gives us an account of Germanus,* Lupus, and Severus, coming over hither to reclaim the Britains from the Heresie of Pelagius several Years before the arrival of Augustin,* and that at his coming over several British Bishops met him at Augustinsac, and stoutly refused all Submission, either to the Church of Rome, or to him. Lastly, altho he might be very instrumental towards the Conversion of the Saxons in Kent, yet was he even in that Affair mightily assisted by the Authority of a Christian Queen named Bertha,* and a Christian Bishop named Luidhardus.

3 That the Doctrine which Augustin taught,* being the Doctrine of Gregory the Great, is vastly different from what has been since taught in the Church of Rome.

4. That Augustin's proud carriage towards the British Bishops, and the death of 1200 Monks of Bangor, oc∣casioned by their denial of Subjection unto him,* do sufficiently shew of what Temper he was,* and that he thought it lawful to make use of other means besides the Efficacy of his Doctrine, to promote what he was sent hither by the Pope about.

The next Mission which the Cardinal makes mention of, is that of Kilianus by Pope Conon, who converted the People of Franconia, whose chief City was Herbi∣polis, Page  229or Wirtzburg. Now the account that the Cen∣turiators give of this Kilianus, and which makes him not to have had that success in the Conversion of Peo∣ple as is pretended, is this, viz. That being a Monk, and by Nation a Scotish-man,* and not being able to do any good amongst his own Country-men with his preaching up of new Rites and Ceremonies, he passed over into Germany to see what he could do there; and finding that at Wirtzburg the Governour Gosbertus gave him but little Encouragement, he being one who, as those Historians relate, did abhor those Popish Ceremonies which Kilianus taught, he went to Rome, and got the Pope to make him Bishop of that City, hoping that at his return thither with greater Authori∣ty, he should be better received; but was soon slain by his own Auditors.

The third Instance is, the Conversion of a great part of Germany by Vinofrid, otherwise called Boniface, who seem'd a little to mistrust the Efficacy of his Do∣ctrine, when he thus wrote;* That without the Com∣mand and Awe of the Prince of the Francks, he could not be able to hinder the Pagan Rites and Idol-Sacrileges in Germany: and, as the Centuriators tell us, entred the Country of the Thuringi with an Army,* forcing them to take Refuge in a fortified place; and when upon no other terms they were willing to turn Christians, but upon their being freed from paying Tenths for the future to the King of Hungary, gratified them there∣in.

Of the Conversion of the Vandals which he ascribes to the Monks of Corbie, hear the account that Albertus Krantzius gives. The Vandals, says he, were a Nation Page  230singularly given to the Superstitious Worship of their Idols,* till by the Arms of the King of Denmark by Sea, by those of the Pomeranian on the East, and those of other Christian Princes on the South, they were forced to become Christian. As to the Conversion or the Danes,* we are told, that Harald being beaten by Regner, and having no other hopes,* fled for help to Ludovicus the Emperour, then, at Mentz, who refused to assist him upon any other condi∣tion, than that of his turning Christian, which he and his People accordingly did. And as for the Bulgarians, Sclavonians, &c. besides that they were converted by their Neighbour Greeks, as well as Italians, especially the Bulgarians (whose disturbance from some Western Missionaries Photius passionately laments) it is not a sign that they were made so subject to the Popes of Rome,* as is pretended; since, as the Centuriators tell us, when Pope Nicholas would have obliged the Scla∣vonians and Polonians,* whom Cyrillus and Methodius, who converted them, had taught to have their publick Service in their own Tongue, to have it in Latin, they stoutly resisted him. So that the Pope, that he might keep up his usurped Authority, was forced to pretend that he gave them leave to have it in their own Lan∣guage.

But amongst all his Instances, the Cardinal had least reason to have mention'd the Conversion of the Indi∣ans and Jews. For as for the Indians, the unheard-of Cruelties which even the Popish Historians relate to have been used towards them, and their gross Igno∣rance after their Conversion, are a sufficient Evidence, how little they were beholden for it to the Doctrine which was taught them. One would wonder how it were possible for Mankind to be guilty of such inhu∣man Page  231Barbarities as Bartolomaeus Casas; who was a Bi∣shop and lived in India, relates the Spaniards to have committed. In abhorrence whereof Acosta has a Dis∣course on purpose to shew the Unreasonableness of making War against the Barbarians,* upon the account of Religion. He afterwards discourses of the Capaci∣ty of the Indians, asserting that they ought to have better Instructors sent them. That those which they then had, had been of such little use to them, that after the space of forty Years, there were scarce any found amongst so great a number of Converts, who understood two Articles of the Creed,* or had any ap∣prehension what Christ, Eternal Life, or the Eucha∣rist meant. But this concerning the Conversion of the Indians, has already been mentioned in Note the fourth.

As for the manner of converting the Jews, I shall only make mention of one Instance, which happened in the time of Heraclius the Emperour, who writ to Dagobert the King of France, that he would command all the Jews in his Dominions, to turn Christians,* and ei∣ther to banish or slay those who would not; who accordingly did so, banishing as many as would not be baptized. Since Erasmus, who knew these matters well enough, has so freely declared, that altho their Conversion be a thing much to be wished for; yet that such Courses were taken by some to effect it, that of a wicked Jew,* it often happened there was made a Christian much more wicked than he was before his Conversion.

Having thus shewn the weakness of the Cardinal's Ar∣guments, all that I shall add upon this Subject shall be only this, That the mean Account some of our new Converts Page  232have given of Themselves, and the Motives of their Change looks not very favourable upon this Ninth Note, and makes it suspicious, that the Efficacy of Doctrine was not the only thing that did the work. But that on the other hand, since the chiefest Patrons of the Romish Cause do at this time endeavour to disguise their Religion with so much Artifice, and to represent it as like ours as they can; they do really think their Doctrine by its own Worth and Excel∣lency, then most likely to prevail, when it is made appear to be most akin to that of the Reformed Churches.