A lost sheep returned home, or, The motives of the conversion to the Catholike faith of Thomas Vane ...

CHAP. XVII.

Of the seventh Mark of the true Church, (viz.) Conversion of Kingdomes and Monarchs.

§. 1. ANother Mark of the true Church, is, the conversion of Kingdomes and Nations from Heathenisme, to the faith of Christ: As the Prophet Esay saith, Kings shall bee thy nursing-Fathers, and Queens thy Mothers, Esay 49.23. thou shalt suck the milke of the Gentiles, and the brests of Kings, Esay 60.61. Their Kings shall minister to thee, and thy gates shall be continually o∣pen, that men may bring to thee the riches of the Gentiles, and that their Kings may be brought, &c. Esay. 60.10, 11. And the En∣glish Bible printed Anno, 1576. upon the 49. of Esay, vers. 23. saith, The meaning is, that Kings shall be converted to the Gospell,

and bestow their power and authority for the preservation of the Church. And this Mark I found on the Roman Catholike, but not upon the Protestant Church.

The first three hundred years after Christ, being a time of great persecution, there were few or no Kings converted to Christianity; and from Constantine to Bo∣niface the third, which was almost 300. years more, there were few Kings conver∣ted, except the Emperours of the East and West; and they were converted to the Ro∣man Catholique, not to the Protstant Faith, as Napier (in his Treatise on the Rev. p. 145.) confesseth, saying,

After the year of God 300. the Emperour Constantine subdued all Christian Churches to Pope Sylvester, from which time till these our daies, the Pope and his Clergie hath possessed the outward and visible Church.

Now since the yeare 600. these Prophesies have been accomplishing, and they have been done by the Roman Church, not by the Prote∣stant Churches; which were (untill Luthers daies) under hatches, and invisible, by their owne confession before mentioned.

And if wee look upon the conversion of Kings and Nations in these later times since their ignis fatuus (which they call

the glorious light of the Gospell) hath ap∣peared, we shall find it performed not by Protestants but by Roman Catholiques, in the remote and divided parts of them East andn West Indies, and ofo Africa, as by sufficient testimony appears. In so much that Simon Lythus a Protestant before alledged, saith,

The Je∣suites within the space of a few years have filled Asia, Africa, & America with their Idolls.

And whereas it is objected that the Gothes were converted to the Christian Religion by the Arri∣ans; firstp Bellarmine proves it to be false; secondly if it were true, yet it is of no moment to prove the pow∣er of any other Religion but the Roman Catholique, for the converting of nations, and the fulfilling of the large Prophesies of the Scripture therein; seeing they that are pretended to be converted by the Arrians, were but the lesser part of the Gothes, most of them having been Catholiques before. Thirdly this example doth rather make for the Roman faith, in that of all the world converted to Christian Religion, there is but one poor half example of con∣version

(and that false too) wrought by any other Religion. Which when it is ob∣served, that this pretended conversion was wrought by Arrians, who (even in the opinion of most Protestants) were Heretiques, it will turne to the shame and reproach of Protestants, who pretending to be the true Religion, cannot shew so much.

As for their affirming of converting some to their faith, who before were Ca∣tholiques, it is impertinent, for so any He∣retiques, that ever were, and had the un∣happy successe (as some have had) of drawing any King or Kingdome to their Heresie, might say, that they converted them; so that by the mark thus placed, the true Church could not be discerned from the false. That therfore which doth distin∣guish them, is the Conversion of Heathen, which hath been performed throughout the world, by Roman Catholiques only. And that which the Protestants have done is no more than what other Heretiques have done before them, and what is the practise of all Novellists, of whom Ter∣tullian affirmes, (Praescript. cap. 42.)

That their imployment is not to convert Heathens, but to pervert them, who

are already converted.

And how barren their attempts have beene in the other and true way of Conversion from Heathenisme, is by their owne Authors, to their shame, con∣fessed.

And doubtles it must needs seem a pro∣digious thing, that Protestants or any o∣ther Heretiques should have so little zeal or meet with so ill successe in the convert∣ing of the world to Christ, if they alone be the true Christians; or that the Prophe∣sies of dilating the Church of Christ, should be performed by the endeavour of Catholiques, and yet they not be the true Christians; or that the Roman Catholique doctrine should be false, and yet it alone have the vigor and efficacy to convert soules, which the Prophet David Psal. 18. ascribes to the doctrine and law of God. As for the Protestants, it is not to any rea∣sonable man probable, that they shall ever convert any Nation, or so much as any one single person, except some poor wretch or other whom fear or gain will drive or draw to any thing, seeing they have not meanes amongst them proportionable to such an end; wanting both Miracles,

and also that admirable sanctity of life with which many Catholiques, especially those who have converted Nations, have been endowed; For what prudent Hea∣then will believe the stories of the Creati∣on, of Adams fall by eating of an Apple, of Gods Incarnation and death, of his Mo∣thers Virginity, with the rest, being so dis∣proportioned to corrupted humane rea∣son, unlesse they be proved unto him by some visible acts, which are in his judge∣ment, as high above nature, as are the points proposed him to believe? such are Miracles, above the power of nature; and high Sanctity, above the reach of flesh and blood. Or who can blame them if they do not without these signes believe? seeing our Saviour saith of the Jewes, If I had not done works in them, which no other man hath done, they should not have sin, John 15.24. Which works seeing ehe Protestants cannot shew, there is no hope left to them ever to convert a Nation; but if they do, they may also convert me to them againe.

Notes

• m

  Joan. Petrus Maffeus hist. Indica∣rum. 16.
• n

  Jos. A∣costa de natur. novi orbis.
• o

  Hartwell of Congo, Epist. to Reader.
• p

  Cap. 22. de not. Eccl.
• Phil. Nicol. Com. de Regno Christi. l. 1. p. 395. Richer. inter Epist. Calv. Epist. 237.