Dr. Stillingfleet's principles of Protestancy cleared, confuted, and retorted And the infallibility of the Roman-Catholick Church asserted; and that the same church alone is the whole Catholick church. In a letter from a Catholick gentleman to a Protestant knight.

SIR,

ACcording to your desire, I have perused Dr. Stillingfleet's Discourse of Idolatry and his Principles of Protestancy; To deliver my Opinion of either, seemeth to be su∣perfluous, it being credible both are an∣swered in England ere now. But because you press me to it, and the Answer may be as long expected here, as the Book hath been, I will venture to give my Judgement of Dr. Stillingfleet; and do con∣fesse ingeniously, that of all Protestant Writers I ever read, I take him to be not only the wittiest, but the wisest; especially where he rallies and endeavours to make the Roman Religion, ridiculous. For to ima∣gine that rational men can be moved by serious Dis∣courses, to believe, that God would send Martin Lu∣ther, John Calvin, Martin Bucer, Thomas Cranmer, &c. to reform Christianity (their lives having been so scan∣dalous and un-christianlike) or that he would oblige the world to credit such vicious men, without shewing any Credentials, or Miracles, to confirm their Testimo∣ny, and new sense of Scripture; is to make God take a new and unreasonable Method. Therefore Dr. Stil∣lingfleet had very good Reasons not to insist upon this old and ordinary way of his Protestant Controversers; he fixt upon a better for his own purpose, which is, to rail at the Saints, and rally us out of their Religion and

Miracles. But notwithstanding the judicious choice of his new Method, I humbly conceive he hath over∣shot himself by aiming so high, and letting his arrows fly against so ancient a Patriarch as St. Bennet, of whose supernatural gifts and Miracles, never any one doubted that believed so authentick an Authour and Doctor of Gods Church as St. Gregory the Great, who writ his Life; And truly Dr. Stillingfleet is the first Protestant Doctor I heard of did except against St. Gregories sin∣cerity or sufficiency in relating matters of fact or faith. He might think fit to make bold with S. Ignatius be∣cause he was Founder of the Jesuites with St. Dominick also because he invented the Inquisition; But to think that his Raillery could reach to discredit the Miracles and Sanctity of S. Bennet, and the Testimony of S. Gre∣gory the Great is an unpardonable Crime. And yet D. Stillingfleets Friends (and his Enemies) may excuse the heinousness of this Crime, by the impossibility of De∣fending

his Cause, otherwise then by facing us down, that all the Roman-Catholick Prelats and Preachers since the Primitive times, were either so witless, as to be seduced by foolish Saints and feign'd Miracles; or so wicked, as to conspire (against Gods known Worship and plain Word) to damn themselves and posterity. And withall, were so obstinate in adhering to the Er∣rours of Popery, that in whatsoever Age any Preachers began to reform that Doctrine, they were suddenly cried down and condemned as notorious Hereticks, by the Prelats and Councils of the then visible Church. But leaving this to the Answerers of D. Stillingfleets Book, I will pass to his Principles.

Notes

• Bishop Godwin in his Catalogue of Bishops, &c. p. 3. saith, That blessed and holy Father, S. Gregory was the o••casion of Re-planting the Christian Faith in our Countrey. The same saith D. Whitaker contra Durcum, lib. 5. p. 394. M. Bell in his Survey of Popery, p. 187. termeth him, S. Gregory s••rnamed the Great, the holy and Learned Bishop of Rome. D. Humphrey in his ••esuatism, par. 2. pag. 624. saith. Gregory both in Name, and in very Deed Great, was ind••ed with many Gifts of divine grace. S. Isidore de Scrip••. Ecclesiast. c. 27. saith, Gregory Bishop of the Apostolick See of Rome, &c. was by the grace of the holy Ghost so greatly indued with light of know∣ledge, as no Doctor of this present Age or in tim••s p••••t was equal to him. S. John Damas••en speaking of his Dialogues, and the life of S. Bennet, which S. Gregory writ, saith, Let Gregory that wrote the Book of Dialogues, Bishop of the elder Rome, be brought forth, a man as all know, that was renowned both for holiness of life and learning, &c.