A defence of the Protestant Christian religion against popery: in answer to A discourse of a Roman Catholick. Wherein the manifold apostaties, heresies, and schisms of the chruch of Rome, as also, the weakness of her pretensions from the scriptures and the fathers, are briefly laid open: by an English Protestant.

CHAP. I. Proving, That a true visible Church may fall away.

TO pass by the Rhetorick of the Title, and the aptness of the phrase of [singular onely one] as an emphatical addition to [the one onely] and the consistence between Roman, and Catholick, and between singular, and Catholick, or univer∣sal. How, and in what respects of reason, and what senses may be thought upon, wherein the same thing may be called both Roman and Catholick, both singular and univer∣sal. The Discourse it self begins with unconuected Quotations of several choice portions of Holy Scripture: And, indeed, so far as there is a cordial adherence and subjection of heart unto that rule among different parties and persuasions, it will, through the grace of Christ, produce either union of Judge∣ment, or at least union of Brotherly affection, and forbearance of love; but what esteem the Church of Rome hath for the

Holy Scriptures, is well known, She doth not subject her 〈◊〉〈◊〉 unto them: And though you in this Discourse de Quote them, as your Writers sometimes do; yet, if you be a true Roman Catholick, it is not with any intent to subject your Church up∣to the Scripture, and to advance the Scriptures above your Church; but onely to deal with Hereticks (as you call them) at their own Weapons; and to use the Scripture as a stepping∣stone, whereby to mount up your Church into the Throne of her pretended Supremacy and Inerrability, as one would use a stirrup to get into the saddle; wherein, nevertheless, your means hath an inconsistency with your end, as will further appear, be∣fore we come to a close of this Debate: Your Argumentation from the Scriptures you recite, begins thus.

DISCOURSE.

Now, I hope, it will not be deemed, but that the Church of Rome was once a most pure, excellent, flourishing, and Mother-Church, ut supra, Rom. 1.

ANSWER.

It will not be denyed, but is readily granted by us, That there was once a True Church in Rome; that is, a Congregati∣on of saithful men, wherein the pure Word of God was Prea∣ched, and the Sacraments duly ministred, according to the Or∣dinance of Christ, which is the description of the visible Church in the Thirty nine Articles. And that this Church which was in Rome, might be instrumental (as Churches in populous Cities often are) to propagate the Faith, and plant Churches in other places, is not improbable: But that she had any superlative Purity, or any motherly Power and Authority, over and above other Churches, is part of the thing in Question between her and us.

The Church of Corinth, the Church of Ephesus, of Thessa∣lenica, of Smyrna, of Philadelphia, were once pure, flourishing Churches, as well as the Church of Rome. What may be truly said of her, may be truly said of all other Gospel Churches, in their first plantation and constitution by the Apostles; yet, it doth not follow, That ever they were Mother-Churches in your sense, or, that because they were pure at first, that therefore they are so still; for visible Churches may degenerate, and apo∣statize,

though the Mystical Church, that is, such as are in Christ by the spirit of saving Faith, cannot wholly fall off from him, yet such as are in him onely by external and visible profes∣sion may: Jer. 2.21. I had planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed; how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me? How is the faithful City become an Harlot? It was full of judgment, righteousness lodged in it, but now mur∣therers, Isa. 1.:21. Whereupon a Church thus forsaking God, God may forsake them. He may discovenant and un-church a people, and give them a Bill of Divorce, and withdraw the signs and tokens of his love and presence. He may break the staffe of beauty, and cut it asunder, that he may break the Covenant he hath made with all the people. He may also break the other staffe of bands and brotherhood between Judah and Israel, Zach. 11.10, 14. He may give them a Bill of Divorce, Jer. 3.8. When for all the causes whereby back-sliding Israel committed Adultery, I had put her away, and given her a bill of divorce; yet her treacherous sister Judah, feared not. God may say unto a people Le-ruhamab and Lo-ammi, I will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; for ye are not my people and I will not be your God, Hos. 1.6. Plead with your mother, plead: for she is not my wife, neither am I her husband, Hos. 2.2. God may remove the candlestick out of its place, Rev. 2.5.

You see in all these Scriptures, what the Lord hath threatned and done to other Churches in dayes of old; which, as it ut∣terly overthrows any such imagination, That a True Church cannot fall away; so it shews, That your Church claims such a priviledge, as never any Church enjoyed: Go to Shiloh, where I set my name at first, Jer. 7.12, 14. Go to Jerusalem, and see what God hath done unto it for the wickedness of his people Israel: Never any Church enjoyed such a priviledge as yours pretend∣eth to, of Indefectibility and Impossibility of losing their Church estate and priviledges. It was Christs own threatning to the Jewes, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a Nation bringing forth the fruits thereof, Matth. 21.43.

Yea, the Lord hath denounced the like: Threatnings, and brandished the same flaming Sword against the Church of Rome in particular, and that from this very instance and example of the Jewish Church before mentioned, Kem. 11.17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22. And if some of the branches were broken off, and thou being,

a wild Olive tree wert grassed in among them, Boast not against the branches; which your Church doth against all the Churches in the World, pretending to such transcendent priviledges and prerogatives above all other Sister-Churches: But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say, the bran∣ches were broken off, that I might be graffed in: Well, because of unbelief, they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not high-minded, but fear. This is written to Her, that saith, She cannot erre: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest be also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness, and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but towards thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be out off. You see he threatneth Her with cutting off; And he hath execu∣ted these his righteous Threatnings, because She hath not con∣tinued in his goodness, therefore he hath cut Her off, and given Her a bill of Divorce, having declared Her in the Scriptures of Truth to be Babylon, and Her Head Antichrist, even Babylan the Great, the Mother of Harlots, a monstrous Beast, the principal object of all the vyals of his wrath. And her Head, a false Prophet, a Star fullen from Heaven, a persecuting Horn, wearing out the Saints of the most High, as it is written in these, and the like Scriptures: Daniel 7. and Dan. cap. 11. vers. 36, &c. 2 Thess. 2. 1 Tim. 4.1, &c. And it is the chief scope of the Book of the Revelation, to discover and reveal Antichrist, in every Chapter, from the sixth, to the twentieth. This is something that doth some way con∣cern this great Apostasie; in all which Scriptures, both of the Old and New Testament, She may read, as it were, the Letters of her Divorce: The Lord, who was Her Husband, having published them, and left them upon Record to all the Chur∣ches, that they may take notice that She is not his Wife, nor he Her husband; and that they may do as is written, Revel. 18 4. Come out of her my people, that ye be not partakers, of her sins, and that ye receive not of bet plagues. And accordingly we, for our parts, in obedience to this command, have protested against Her, and are come out from Her; and our defence must be with∣out shifts and subterfuges, by making good the charge against Her. What can She say for Her self? How will She clear and vindicate Her self from all this fin and shame? You attempt it under three Heads, of Apostasic, Haresie, and Schism; and I must follow you in your own method, though it be none of the best:

But whether you took your Discourses hereof out of Fiat Lux, for there they are verbatim, there is more than a meer coincidence of matter, or that Fiat Lux had learned them privately from you, and then published them in Print, suppressing your name, I leave it to him and you to dispute that point, and to your infallible Judge to determine it, and judge between you: Both he and you speak thus.

Notes

• Artic. 19.