the Bishop of Rome, or to have acknowledged his authority and jurifdiction over them. And the infallibi lity of the Pope, whether with or without a general council, about which they ftill differ, though infallibility was devised on purpose to determine all differences; I fay, this infallibility, where-ever it is pretended to be, is plainly confuted by the contradictory definitions of feveral Popes and councils: for if they have contradicted one another, as is plain beyond all contradiction, in feveral inftances, then there muft of neceffity be an error on one fide: and there can be no fo certain demonftration that any one is infallible, as evident error and mistake is of the contrary.

Next, their concealing both the rule of religion, and the practice of it in the worship and fervice of God, from the people, in an unknown tongue, and their adminiftering the communion to the people in one kind only, contrary to clear fcripture, and the plain inftitution of our bleffed Saviour. And then their worship of images, and invocation of angels and faints, and the bleffed virgin, in the fame folemn manner, and for the fame bleffings and benefits which we beg of God himself, contrary to the exprefs word of God, which commands us to worship the Lord our God, and to ferve him only; and which declares, that as there is but one God, fo there is but one mediator between God and men, Chrift Jefus, (but one mediator, not only of redemption, but of interceffion too; for the Apoftle there fpeaks of a mediator of interceffion), by whom only we are to offer up our prayers, which are to be put up to God only; and which exprefsly forbids men to worship any image or likenefs. And the learned men of their own church acknowledge, that there is neither precept nor example for thefe practices in fcripture; and that they were not used in the Chriftian church for feveral ages. And this acknowledgment we think very confiderable; fince fo great a part of their religion, efpecially as it is practifed among the people, is contained in thefe points. For the fervice of God in an unknown tongue, and with-holding the fcriptures from the people, they do not pretend fo much as one teftimony of any father for the first fix hundred years. And nothing certainly can be more unreasonable

in itself, than to deny people the best means of knowing the will of God, and not to permit them to understand what is done in the publick worship of God, and what prayers are put up to him in the church.

The two great doctrines of transubstantiation and purgatory are acknowledged by many of their own learned writers to have no certain foundation in fcripture and that there are seven facraments of the Christian religion, though it be now made an article of faith by the council of Trent, is a thing which cannot be fhewn in any council or father for above a thousand years after Chrift. And we find no mention of this number of the facraments, till the age of Peter Lombard, the father of the schoolmen.

That the church of Rome is the mother and mistress of all churches, though that alfo be one of the new articles of Pope Pius IV.'s creed, which their priests are by a folemn oath obliged to believe and teach; yet it is most evidently falfe. That fhe is not the mother of all churches, is plain; becaufe Jerufalem was certainly fo; for there certainly was the firft Chriftian church, and from thence all the Chriftian churches in the world derive themselves. That she is not, though fhe fain would be, the mistress of all churches, is as evident; because the greatest part of the Christian church docs at this day, and always did deny, that she hath any authority or fupremacy over them. Now, these are the principal matters in difference betwixt us. And if these points, and a few more, be pared off from Popery, that which remains of their religion, is the fame with ours; that is, the true ancient Christianity.

3. I fhall fhew that our religion hath many clear advantages of theirs, not only very confiderable in themfelves, but very obvious and difcernible to an ordinary capacity, upon the very firft propofal of them. As,

We

1. That our religion agrees perfectly with the fcriptures; and all points both of our belief and practice, efteemed by us as neceffary to falvation, are there contained, even our enemies themselves being judges. worship the Lord our God, and him only do we serve. do not fall down before images, and worship them: we addrefs all prayers to God alone, by the only mediation

We

and

and interceffion of his Son Jefus Chrift, as he himself hath given us commandment, and as St. Paul doth plainly direct; giving us this plain and fubftantial reason for it, because as there is but one God, so there is but one me◄ diator between God and men, the man Chrift Fefus.

The publick worship and fervice of God is performed by us in a language which we understand, according to St. Paul's exprefs order and direction, and the univerfal practice of the ancient church, and the nature and rea fon of the thing itself. We adminifter the facrament of the Lord's fupper in both kinds, according to our Saviour's example and plain inftitution, and the continual practice of all the Christian churches in the world for above a thousand years.

2. We believe nothing as neceffary to falvation, but what hath been owned in all ages to be the Chriftian doctrine, and is acknowledged fo to be by the church of Rome itself; and we receive the whole faith of the primitive Christian church, viz. whatever is contained in the Apoftles creed, and in the explications of that in the creeds of the four first general councils. By which it plainly appears, that all the points of faith in difference betwixt us and the church of Rome, are mere innovations, and plain additions to the ancient Christian faith: but all that we believe, is acknowledged by them to be undoubtedly the ancient Christian faith.

3. There is nothing wanting in our church and religion, whether in matter of faith or practice, which either the fcripture makes neceffary to falvation, or was fo esteemed by the Chriftian church for the first five hundred years; and we trust, that what was fufficient for the falvation of Chriftians in the beft ages of Christianity for five hundred years together, may be fo ftill; and we are very well content to venture our falvation upon the same terms that they did.

4. Our religion is not only free from all idolatrous worship, but even from all fufpicion and probable charge of any fuch thing: but this the church of Rome is not, as is acknowledged by her most learned champions, and as no man of ingenuity can deny. And the reafon which the learned men give, why the worship of images, and the invocation of angels, and faints departed, were not

practifed

practifed in the primitive church for the first three hundred years, is a plain acknowledgment that these practices are very liable to the fufpicion of idolatry: for they fay, that the Christians did then forbear those practices, because they seemed to come too near to the Pagan idolatry, and left the Heathen should have taken occafion to have juftified themselves, if these things had been practifed among Christians: and they cannot now be ignorant what fcandal they give by these practices both to the Jews and Turks, and how much they alienate them from Chriftianity by this fcandal; nor can they chufe but be fenfible, upon how great difadvantage they are in defending thefe practices from the charge of idolatry; and that by all their blind diftinctions, with which they raise fuch a cloud and duft, they can hardly make any plaufible and tolerable defence of themselves from this charge; infomuch that to fecure their own people from difcerning their guilt in this matter, they have been put upon that shameful shift of leaving out the second commandment in their common catechifms and manuals, left the people, feeing fo plain a law of God against fo common a practice of their church, fhould upon that discovery have broken off from them.

5. Nor is our religion incumbered with fuch an endlefs number of fuperftitious and troublesome obfervances, as theirs infinitely is, even beyond the number of the Jewish ceremonies, to the great burden and scandal of the Chriftian religion, and the diverting of mens minds from the spiritual part of religion, and the more weighty and neceffary duties of the Chriftian life; fo that, in truth, a devout paftor is fo taken up with the external rites and little obfervances of his religion, that he hath little or no time to make himself a good man, and to cultivate and improve his mind in true piety and virtue.

6. Our religion is evidently more charitable to all Chriftians that differ from us, and particularly to them, who, by their uncharitablenefs to us, have done as much as is poffible to discharge and damp our charity towards them. And charity, as it is one of the most effential marks of a true Chriftian, fo it is likewife the best mark and ornament of a true church; and of all things that can be thought of, methinks the want of charity in any church

fhould

fhould be a motive to no man to fall in love with it, and to be fond of its communion.

7. Our religion doth not clash and interfere with any of the great moral duties to which all mankind stand obliged by the law and light of nature; as fidelity, mercy, and truth. We do not teach men to break faith with hereticks or infidels; nor to destroy and extirpate those who differ from us with fire and fword: no fuch thing as equivocation, or mental reservation, or any other artificial way of falfhood, is either taught or maintained, either by the doctrine, or by the cafuifts of our church.

8. Our religion, and all the doctrines of it, are perfectly confiftent with the peace of civil government, and the welfare of human fociety. We neither exempt the clergy from fubjection to the civil powers, nor abfolve fubjects, upon any pretence whatsoever, from allegiance to their princes; both which points, the neceffity of the one, and the lawfulness of the other, have been taught and stiffly maintained in the church of Rome, not only by private doctors, but by Popes and general councils.

9. The doctrines of our religion are perfectly free from all fufpicion of a worldly interest and defign; whereas the greatest part of the erroneous doctrines with which we charge the church of Rome, are plainly calculated to promote the end of worldly greatnefs and dominion.

The Pope's kingdom is plainly of this world; and the doctrines and maxims of it, like fo many fervants, are ready upon all occafions to fight for him. For most of them do plainly tend, either to the establishment and enlargement of his authority, or to the magnifying of the priests, and the giving them a perfect power over the confciences of the people, and the keeping them in a flavish fubjection and blind obedience to them. And to this purpose do plainly tend the doctrines of exempting the clergy from the fecular power and jurifdiction; the doctrine of transubstantiation; for it must needs make the priest a great man in the opinion of the people, to believe that he can make God, as they love to express it, without all reafon and reverence. Of the like tendency is the communicating of the laity only in one kind, thereby making it the fole privilege of the priest to receive the facrament in both; the with-holding the fcripture from

the