THE REASONS For which an ecclesiastic OF THE Romish Church Hath left the Errors of that Communion, For to Embrace the TRUTH of the GOSPEL IN THE Reformed Religion, LONDON: Printed in the Year 1681. TO Mr. RICHARD BAXTER, a most Worthy Minister of the Word of God. SIR, AS Good is communicative of itself, I thought myself obliged to make the public partaker of the Good I have received from God, by an effect of his Grace, in acknowledging the Reasons which have abliged me to leave the Errors of the Romish Communion, that I have followed all my Life, and preached since I was a Priest thereof, until that God spoken to me, as to Saul, Why persecutest thou me? But as I see nothing more able to welcome it into the World, than by dedicating it unto yourself, I take the liberty to present it to you, to the end that being sustained upon one of the strongest Pillars of the Reformed Church, it may be better received from it. In effect, what greater advantage could I have in this occasion, where I desire to make known the Errors of the Romish Church that I have left, to embrace the purity of the Gospel, which is practised in the Reformed Religion, than to produce this effect of my Studies, under the protection of a Person, who not only by the force of his Words, in his learned Writings, and by his continual Preaching, but also by the good example of his Manners, maketh known to all the World, that he maketh a particular profession to follow Jesus Christ, in the purity of his Word? In effect, the one appeareth to us in all your actions, and the perfect renunciation of all the Grandeurs of the World, which hath made you so often refuse the eminentest Charges of the Church, doth not permit us to doubt thereof; and the other appeareth in many learned Books, and in daily Sermons, where the force of Grace supplieth the want of Nature, weakened by long and painful Studies; so as St. Basil said of St. Gregory, One knows not which appeareth more in you, whether the holiness of your Manners, or the purity of your Doctrine; you are of those true Pastors who are powerful in works and words, who sustain by their example that which they teach by a lively Word and by Writing; in a word, who made themselves all to all for to gain all to Jesus Christ. Pardon me, Sir, if by advancing these Truths, I do violence to your Modesty: This Consideration hindereth me to say any more of it, and is the reason, why retaining to myself the Sentiments that I am obliged to have of it, I hold my peace, in asking you permission to style myself, as I am, with a most profound Respect, Sir, Your most humble, and most obedient Servant, JOSEPH DU mount. PROLOGUE. Gratia Dei sum id quod sum; 1 ad Cor. c. 15. v. 10. By the grace of God I am what I am. WHen men are conquered by other men, and that the power of Discourse, or the force of Arms, hath constrained them to submit, they own their Defeat, but with difficulty, and diminish as much as they can, the Glory of their Vanquisher: But when Truth hath surmounted, and Grace hath overcome them, they desire that every one should know it, and far from regarding their destruction as a misfortune, they believe all men unhappy that it hath not subjected: So the Apostle St. Paul was not ashamed of his blindness; on the contrary, he made known to all the World that he had persecuted the Church; and as if his own confession was not sufficient, the holy Ghost hath mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, the scales which fell from his eyes, to the end that he that glorieth 2 Cor 10 17. should glory in the Lord; and that the feeble faculties of man may make known the power of the grace of God, By the grace of God( he saith) I am what I am; it is that grace which hath made him to aclowledge the Errors of judaisme, and to leave the Traditions of his Fathers, for to embrace the truth of the Gospel, and follow Jesus. It is the being inspired by this Grace, animated by this Spirit, and moved by these same Sentiments, that I believe myself obliged to make publicly the same Confession, to say with St. Paul, that by the grace of God I am what I am; it is that Grace, which( like the Apostle) hath drawn me( not from the Errors of judaisme, but) from the Errors of the Romish Church, and hath made me leave the Traditions of my Fathers, for to follow Jesus Christ, in the purity of his Word. It is also this Grace, which like this Apostle, hath caused me to suffer persecutions, not of those who call themselves the enemies of Jesus Christ, as the Jews, but of those who are enemies of the purity of his Word, when I would have embraced it, I mean, the Papists, who( being more enraged against me, because I left their Errors, than the Jews were against St. Paul, because he had left their Traditions) have put me( more than once) into an obscure Prison, where I had the honour to suffer the space of many weeks, not only all the miseries, that the hatred which they bear to those who desire to embrace the Religion that I would follow, inspired them against me, but many reproaches, promises, and threatenings, that the most eloquent Doctors of this Communion made me every day, who tormented me more than all the discommodities of the strait and infamous Prison where I was detained. I can say again with St. Paul, in Deep, and not in Damascus, 2 Cor. 11 ●3 the governor under the King kept the City of those of Deep with a Garrison, desirous to apprehended me; for being escaped from the hands of my Enemies,( for the first time) the King's Lieutenant in the City of Deep,( called De la Boisiere)( to whom and to many other Governours they had sent my portraiture) stopped and detained me in the more strait Prison of the Castle of Deep, from whence at length( like again St. Paul) grace hath delivered me, letting myself down by the Wall through a Window, not in a Basket, as this Apostle, but with a Cord of 40 yards, and escaped his hands. It is a truth which hath made so much noise, that not only all that City is informed of it, but almost all France, and there are but few French Protestants in London who do not know it, but particularly the Ministers of the French Churches. It is that Grace that God hath given me by his mercy, which maketh me say( after the example of the blind man in the Gospel) that Jesus healed my eyes by the unction of his grace, that I came, that I washed them, and that I have now the use of my sight. But as a Patient which is healed of a dangerous Sickness, must not refuse to tell his Remedy to all those that he seeth in the same danger, particularly when the Sickness is spiritual, and there is a doubt of the health of the Soul; since Jesus Christ desireth that we multiply the talents that he hath given us, that he sendeth into utter darkness that bad Servant that had butted his one talent, and that he causeth in our spirits the light of his Truth, but for to enlighten our Brethren with it; I think myself obliged, since that God by his grace hath made me to know the Truth, by curing my Soul of her blindness; I say, I think myself obliged to make known to all the World, the Remedy that healed me. I have been long detained by human Considerations, which making me know the infallible loss of Honours and Goods, held my Mind in balance between the fear of the Creatures, and that of the Creator; I saw that in changing my Religion, I made my condition not only less commodious, but it may be miserable in this World, and lost the friendship of many honest Persons, who esteemed me in the Romish Church. But at length against all these Considerations that the Flesh and blood inspired in me, the grace of God making me consider the shortness of this life, the eternity of the future, in a word, inspiring in me an extreme desire to save myself, hath caused me to seek the way to it. I believed at first, that it was impossible to make sure my Salvation in the Romish Church, for the great quantity of Abuses which are committed therein, and that the true way to save ones self, was to have refuge in the Protestant Religion, which reformeth them entirely. CHAP. I. Against the Authority of the Pope. ONe of the first Abuses of the Romish Church shook me, and that the Reformed Church rejecteth, is the great Power and sovereign Authority that the Pope attributeth to himself, who calleth himself Successor of St. Peter, in quality of chief of the universal Church; he extendeth that power, even to interdict the Kingdoms that are in the hands of those which he calleth heretics, because they do not adhere to his Errors; to dispense with the Christians to break their Oaths and their Vows, to canonize, and to put( who he pleases) in the rank of the Saints, to give Laws to the universal Church, to remit sins, to draw Souls from Purgatory, to judge sovereignly, and without Appeal, of all the points of Religion, saying, that he cannot err in matter of Faith; he causeth his Foot to be kissed by Kings, his stirrup to be held by Emperors; in fine, he maketh himself to be adored as the Vicar of Jesus Christ, whom he maketh himself. But besides that, St. Peter hath never been the Head of the universal Church; as it is easy to see in his two Epistles, where very far from speaking of Ruling Superiority, 1 Epist. c. ●. v 3. he saith, that he is not Lord over God's Heritage; and that moreover St. Paul saying in his 2d. Epistle to the Corinthians, I was not a whit behind the very chiefest C. 11. v. 5. Apostles, sheweth enough, that he thought himself not to be subject to St. Peter. The same St. Paul putteth To Gal. c. 2. v 9 the Apostle St. James the first, saying, James, Cephas and John, who seemed to be pillars: And again St. John in the 1st. Chapter of his Gospel, vers. 44. putteth Andrew before Peter, saying, Philip was of Bethsaida, the City of Andrew and Peter. But when we should be deprived of all these Authorities, that of Jesus Christ is sufficient enough, because he forbiddeth all Ruling Priorities amongst his Apostles over each other, when he saith in St. Luke, The Kings of the Gentiles exercise Lordship over C. 22. v. 25 26. them, and they that exercise Authority over them are called Benefactors; but ye shall not be so. They object, to prove the Supremacy of St. Peter, that Jesus Christ said to him, Feed my Sheep; but one St. John c. 21. v. 16. cannot justly infer from thence, that Jesus Christ hath created him Head of the universal Church, because that he did not bid him, Feed alone, or Feed sovereignly my Sheep. In effect the same Commandment hath been made to all the Pastors, in the 20th. of the Acts, and 28th . verse, where St. Paul saith unto them, Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the holy Ghost hath made you Overseers, to feed the Church of God; and in the 1st. Chapter of St. Peter, Feed the flock of God. In regard of that which Jesus promiseth to St. Peter, to give him the Keys of Heaven; And whatsoever thou shalt bind on Earth shall be bound in Heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose on Earth shall be loosed in Heaven. It is easy to see, that Jesus Christ by these words doth not give more Authority to St. Peter, than to the other Apostles, to whom he hath given the same power, saith St. John, As my Father hath sent me, even so sand I you. C. 20. v 21 22, 23. 22. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the holy Ghost. 23. Whosesoever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them, and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained. It is that which St. Cyprian confirmeth very well, saying, Quod dixit Petro, dixit & caeteris apostles; That which Jesus Christ hath said to Peter, he hath said it also to his other Apostles. Is it not the same Truth that Bernard teached to the Pope Eugene, when he said unto him, Erras si ut summam ita & solam à Deo institutam vestram Apostolicam potestatem existims. But although it was as true as it is false, that Jesus Christ had established St. Peter for to be the visible Chief of the universal Church, it would not follow from thence, that all the Bishops of Rome were his Successors in his Charge, because we have no word of it in the holy Scripture; and that moreover the ecclesiastic Histories teach us, that heretofore the people of the City of Rome choose their Bishop; from whence it is easy to see, that the Bishop of Rome was not the Head of the universal Church: For I pray you, who giveth the the power to that people to give a Head to the universal Church, and to establish Linus Bishop over the Apostles, who remained after the death of St. Peter, as St. John, and the others? But ( Dato non concesso) that St. Peter was the Chief of all the Church, that he hath made his residence at Rome, and that he left his place to the Bishop of this City,( which are mere suppositions.) Who sees not, that the Bishop of Rome is degraded of that Charge, by compo●… ng himself in it of a contrary fashion to that of St. Peter; for as Pope lo saith, One cannot be heir of the power of St. Peter, if one is not of his justice. St. Peter was the spiritual Pastor of his Troop, and the Bishop of Rome( whom they call the Pope) is become the temporal Monarch thereof; on the contrary, to say with St. Peter, I want Gold and Silver, he is more rich than the most puissant Kings. St. Peter never would be called God, as Paul the 5th. on the contrary, he hindered Cornelius to prostrate himself before him. You will tell me, it may be, that I speak of a particular; but who knows not, that every Pope, more proud than Lucifer,( who would make himself like to God) extols himself above this eternal sovereign, dispensing as he doth, with men, to keep the fidelity that they have promised to God by Oaths and Vows? for whosoever dispenseth with a Servant to obey his Master, must be greater than this Master; and so the Pope dispensing with men to obey God, puts himself above God. Every one knows, that the Pope dispenseth not only with Vows and Promises that men make to God, but also with that Obedience that they owe him, seeing that he permitteth one to mary his niece, and the Sister of his Wife, things that God forbiddeth in the 18th. and 20th. of Leviticus. I will say again to that purpose, That the violation of the Ordinances of the Pope, is much more severely punished than that of the Laws of God: Swear and blaspheme the holy Name of our God, you shall never be punished for it at Rome; but if you say any thing in that City against the Pope, you shall be presently put into the Inquisition: Confess yourself there to have lied, stolen, committed Adultery, done any thing against the Commandment of God, the Priest shall give you an Absolution for it; but if you confess to have eaten Flesh in Lent, he will not absolve you for it: Why? The Pope hath commanded that they keep Lent. But that which I detest most in the power that the Pope attributeth to himself, is the shameful traffic that he maketh with Indulgences, as we shall see. CHAP. II. Against Indulgences. THe shameful traffic that the Pope maketh with his Indulgences and Pardons, is so untolerable, that it gave the first ground for the Reformation of the Church. In effect, one must have more Concession for the Indulgences of the Pope, than he doth distribute himself, or than he doth sell to the people who believeth them, to hid their Abuses. Those of the Romish Church, who have found the way, not only to live by them, but also to maintain their lusts and their luxury, by the great Revenues which they bring them, say strange things thereof. They give to the Pope unexhaustible treasures of Merits, that furnisheth him not only with the superabundant Merits of Jesus Christ, but also meritorious Works, and Works of Supererogation, that a great multitude of Saints, which have not sinned much, and suffered much, who by consequence( say they) have endured more pains than their sins do deserve. The Supererogation of their meritorious Works, giveth to the Church( say they) unexhaustible treasures of Merits, whereof the Pope disposeth when he pleaseth, and in favour of whom it seemeth good to him; and it is that they call Indulgences and Pardons of the Pope. Though a Soul be plunged in all sorts of sins, it may have, by the means of these Pardons,( that they buy with ready money) the liberty to fin without punishment, all the time of his Life. Who doth not see the horror of this Abuse. But let us leave these covetous Doctors, that Interest blindeth, and that God abandons in a reprobate sense. Let us see what the others say thereof, who are not so passionate, their Doctrine is more plausible, but it hath not more force: The Indulgences( say they) are nothing else but a relaxation of Penitence imposed on Sinners by the Canons of the Church, in consideration of the Martyrs, and which are not accorded by the Popes, but to those who are truly converted. But if they are truly converted, what need have they of Pardons? when Jesus Christ hath changed a Sinner by the efficacy of his Grace, and that his heart which was of ston, is become a heart of Flesh, his sins are they not pardonned entirely to him? yes without doubt, seeing that they are not pardonned to him but when he is converted; for God regards not in his anger those which he hath not changed, but those which he hath changed and converted, he doth not impute any crime to them, they are no more the object of his condemning anger: on the contrary, he becometh to them a merciful God, who doth regard only the present estate where he hath placed them, by the merit of the passion of Jesus Christ, which is more then suffiaient( say again the Romans) to redeem many Worlds: But if the satisfaction of Jesus Christ, is more then sufficient for to pay the pains which are due for our sins, why will they add the satisfactions of men? why will they say that God takes two payments for one and the same debt, seeing that the first is sufficient enough for to acquit it? Indeed is it not to do an injury to the merits of Jesus Christ, to join them to Pilgrimages, to Nakedness of Feet, to Abstinence of some Meat, and to other like things, for to make together the total satisfaction which is due for our sins? It will be better to say with St. Paul, in the 6th. chapter of the Galatians, verse 5. that every man shall bear his own burden: For I pray you, who is it who hath put the sufferances of the Saints, in the Treasure of the Pope? and, who is it that can assure us that God will be content with so little Money? No, no, it must without doubt be another payment to satisfy this Creditor; as his debt is infinite, he must have an infinite payment, and by consequence he must have the Merits of God, and not Indulgences founded upon the Merits of men: but how the goods Works of men, should be meritorious for the satisfaction of the sins of their Brothers, seeing that they are not for their own sins? CHAP. III. Against the Merit of Good Works. THose of the Romish Church who believe themselves not only to be able to merit the Kingdom of Heaven, by the means of their Works, but also to acquire to themselves higher degrees of Glory in Heaven, in proportion as their Works are more great and meritorious, for to establish better this belief in the Spirit of Christians, say that the Reformed Church rejecteth good Works, saying that they are not necessary to Salvation; but their Doctrine is as false as that which they impute to us: It is without doubt a calumny, seeing that the Christian Religion( that they call Reformed, because it is purged from the Errors of the Popish Church) believeth that good Works are necessary to Salvation, that it is the way to come to Heaven, that Faith without Works is dead, as saith St. James; in fine, that good Works c. 2. v. 17 serve to glorify God, to edify the Neighbour, to fortify Faith, and to conduct us to Eternal Life. It saith well, that good Works do not merit Salvation, that they are not the price of this blessed acquisition, but only the way to arrive there; and so it is a calumny to say, that the Reformed Church rejecteth good Works, saying that they are not necessary to Salvation: but if good Works are the way to Salvation, they do not merit it, as a Doctor of the Romish Church saith, they are via regni non causa regnandi. In effect, for to merit a recompense of any body in commutative Justice, by the means of a good Work, it behoveth that the Work, or the Service that one doth, is not due, for these are no merit to pay his debts: Secondly, it behoveth that one offers of his own; for if one offers any thing which belongeth already to the person to whom one presenteth it, there is no merit: Thirdly, it behoveth that not only the Work that one doth, offendeth not the person for whom one doth it, but moreover that this Work may be profitable to him; for there is no merit to offend any one, nor also to do him any thing that is unprofitable to him: In fine, it behoveth that there be proportion between the Work, and the Salary that one desireth to merit. None of these things are found in the good Works of men, therefore they do not then so merit salvation. I prove the Minor, and for its first part,( to wit) that the Works that we do for God is due to him, St. Luke assureth us of it, saying, c. 17 v 10 When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, we are unprofitable Servants, we have done that which was our duty to do. Secondly, The Good that we do cometh from God, we offer of his Goods and not of our own; Thine are mine, saith Jesus Christ in St. John. 1●. v 10 Thirdly, Not only our good Works do not signify any thing to him, for he hath not need of our service, it is we that have need of his grace, but moreover they are imperfect, there is always some rest of our human infirmity: In fine, what proportion is it between our good Works and the Kingdom of Heaven? there is none without doubt; it behoveth for this eternal Good, a merit and a price that may be infinite, as is that of Jesus Christ, and not that of good Works of men. It is therefore that the holy Scripture tells us, that eternal life is a gift of God, and not an acquisition by our proper merits; it is so that St. Paul saith writing to the Romans, The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life, through Jesus c. 6 v. 3. Christ our Lord: And the same to the Ephesians, For c 2. v. 8, 9. by grace are ye saved through faith, and that not of ourselves, it is the gift of God, not of works, lest any man should boast: My Goods are nothing unto thee, saith David, speaking to Psal. 16. 2. God. There is then no merit in the good Works of men, in point of commutative Justice. In effect, if there was any, it should be particularly in their sufferings, seeing that St. Paul saith, For our light affliction which is but for a moment, worketh for To Cor. c. 4. v. 17. us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory: Nevertheless the same Apostle assureth us, writing to the Romans, That the sufferings of this present time, are c 8 v. 18. not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. Why then( may one tell me) doth God speak so often of Salvation as of a Salary; he saith in the Revelation, I c 22 v. 12. come quickly, and my reward is with me; and St. Paul to the Romans, Who will render to every man according to his deeds: In fine, in St. Matthew, rejoice and be exceeding c. 5. v 12. glad, for great is your reward in Heaven. Of all these passages the Papists do form this Argument: Where there is recompense, there is merit. Jesus Christ promiseth recompense to good Works: Therefore they are meritorious. But I explain and distinguish the Minor of this Argument, saying, that there are recompenses properly merited, and others which are not so merited; the so merited recompenses are those whereof St. Paul speaketh when he saith, writing to the Romans, Now to him that c. 4. v. 4. worketh, is the reward not reckoned of grace but of debt: And it is not of these recompenses whereof Jesus Christ speaketh, because the salvation that he promiseth for to recompense, is a free Reward, and not so merited, which is given us as a Child who receiveth clothes from his Father, for to have either well written, or done some other thing agreeable to his Father who giveth it him, not because his Work by purchase meriteth it, but because it is his dutiful Son. In like manner Jesus Christ giveth us his Kingdom, not because our good Works merit it, although that they be agreeable to him, but because that we are Children of God his Father, and his co-heirs, as c. 8. v. 17. saith St. Paul in the Epistle to the Romans. So that those of the Communion of Rome, who will buy the Kingdom of God by their proper merits, renounce the Succession of the Children of God, and from heirs desire to become buyers; but the Kingdom of God is not bought by the merit of Works, God giveth it freely to his Children. Even we have believed in Jesus Christ, saith St. c. 2. v. 16. Paul to the Galatians, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the Law, for by the works of the Law shall no flesh be justified. And in his 2d. c. 1. v 9. Epistle to Timothy, God hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Jesus Christ before the world began; and if by grace, then it is c. 11. v. 6. no more of works, otherwise grace is no more grace, saith the same St. Paul writing to the Romans. After all these Authorities and these Reasonings, one must be as proud as a Papist for to attribute merit to ones Works. CHAP. IV. Against Purgatory. THe Church of Rome doth never appear more eloquent, than when she speaketh of its Purgatory: It representeth there to us Souls tormented in a fire of Brimstone, plunged in so great an anguish of mind, in so vehement affliction, and so sensible pains, that they cannot be conceived. It maketh a description thereof as terrible as pitiful; and to make the living subsist by the help that it inciteth him to render to the dead, it inventeth a thousand divers pains, that these Souls suffer in appearance in those imaginary places, where it representeth them to us in these horrible torments, and as many means for to ease them thereof. But I would know where these Doctors( which judge men after that God hath judged them) can find so many Evils and Remedies altogether: They do without doubt as some Gods of the Heathens, who cured but the Evils that they had caused. But for to cure themselves, I pray them to tell me, if Jesus Christ hath fully and perfectly satisfied to the Justice of God his Father, or if he hath satisfied but imperfectly, and in part only; I do not believe that they confess this last, seeing that they call Jesus Christ their Saviour, and that he is not the Saviour of men, but because he hath fully satisfied for them to the Justice of God his Father, by the effusion of his blood, with which he hath cleansed us from all sins, saith St. John, in the 1st. Chapter of his 1st. Epistle; and St. Paul c. 2. v. 1● to the Colossians saith, And you being dead in your sins, and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses. They must then confess that Jesus Christ hath fully satisfied for the sins of men; but if Jesus Christ hath fully satisfied for our sins, if he hath effectually washed them in his own blood, by the means thereof he hath redeemed us: This Redemption is then perfect, and if it is perfect, there remaineth nothing( by consequence) to pay off our Debts. Why then should one imagine a new Expiation, a second Satisfaction, an imaginary Fire, where one punisheth crimes which are no more, in a word, a Purgatory which never was, as it is easy to see by the holy Scripture, which doth not only say nothing thereof, but moreover assureth us by a great many places, that the faithful after their death do enjoy rest. Isaiah saith, None considering that the righteous is taken away from the c. 57. v. 1. evil to come. We see in the 2d. of Luke, that the good old man Simeon witnesseth, that he had promise to be received in peace after he had seen the messiah. St. Paul saith in his 2d. Epistle to Timothy, I have fought a good c. 4. v. 7, 8. fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith, 8. henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of righteousness. The Soul of Lazarus in the 16th. of St. Luke is carried in the bosom of Abraham, where he is comforted, whilst the wicked rich man is tormented in the flames of Hell; there is no middle, one must go into one or the other. Jesus Christ in the Revelations saith to the faithful Soul, Be c. 2 v 1●. thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a Crown of life. The same Jesus Christ, did he not give his Paradise to the good Thief, without any need of going into Purgatory? To day shalt thou be with me in Paradise, saith Luke c. 2●. v. 43. he to him. This last proof would be alone sufficient enough to convince the Papists, if Interest did not hinder them from being convinced by Reason that there is no Purgatory; seeing that the strongest Reason that they give thereof, is( say they) that there is no Justice, that a man that hath been wicked all his life, and who nevertheless should be converted at his death, went as well to Heaven, as another who should have lived holy all his life; and so that it must be a Purgatory, where this wicked man who is converted at the hour of his death should satisfy, before he go to Heaven, for the sins that he hath committed in his life-time. For besides that the Parable of the Lord of the Gospel, who recompenseth equally all the Workmen of his Vineyard, giving as much to those that came at eleven, as to those that came at six and nine, is much more strong than their reasoning, they can say nothing after the example of the good Thief. They must then confess with the Author of the Book called Hyponosticon, in St. Augustine, that the Church doth not aclowledge a third place, to the end that he which is not with Jesus Christ may be with the Devil; Tertium locum penitus ignorat Ecclesia, ut posset esse cum Diabolo qui non est cum Christo, saith this Author. CHAP. V. Against the Invocation of Saints. WE have already seen the abuses that the Romish Church committeth upon the Earth, we have seen the Fictions that it maketh us of Hell, but not contented with that, it mounteth even to Heaven, where it maketh us to find new Intercessors, to which( by an abuse that I again dislike, and that the Reformed Church rejecteth) it desireth one to make address, and to invoque them in any necessity; but besides that, we have no commandment in the Holy Scripture of it, as cotton the Jesuit confesseth himself, in the first Book of his Institution, in the first Chapter, Of the Invocation of Saints: In regard of the commandment to pray and to invoque the Saints, the Church( saith he) did never teach that there was any: Do we not see that Jesus Christ in his Gospel commandeth us to address ourselves to himself, to be eased of our pains? Come to me( saith he, in St. Matthew) all ye that labour, and are heavy laden, and c. 11. v. 28 I will give you rest. It is then to Jesus Christ, and not to Saints, that we must address ourselves; it is to him alone( saith St. Paul, in his first to Timothy) who is the mediator between God and men: he assureth us himself in c. 2. v. 5. St. John, that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, that c. 14. v. 6. no man cometh to the Father, but by him: it is in this beloved Son( saith St. Paul to the Ephesians) wherein he c. 1 v. 6. hath made us acceptable: If any man sin,( saith St. John, in his first Epistle) we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: why then to address one self to his Saints? I confess that one must honour them, that we are obliged to admire their Virtues, to consider them as great men who being in the Flesh,( as the Apostle speaketh) have not fought according to the Flesh; that one must learn their Lives, to the end to imitate them: and if it is permitted to me to mingle a profane History in so Holy a matter, as the glory of Miltiades hindered Themistocles to sleep, it behoveth that the example of their great actions draw us from sleep and idleness, in which we are plunged: but there is a great difference between imitating them, and invoquing them; the Scripture which speaketh of the one, doth not speak of the other: on the contrary, it telleth us that there is but one only mediator, but one Advocate, but one Redeemer, who knoweth our miseries by himself, as he cureth them by himself: that the Saints( as St. Paul speaketh) are by his Grace all that they are; that they know( as St. Augustine saith) that when God crowneth their Merits, he crowneth but his Graces; and that far to receive the Vows which one offereth them, and the Incense which one presenteth to them, they say with the Angel, in the Revelation, Remember that I am they companion in service, and that it is to God alone that it behoveth us to address ourselves to: it is not then the Saints that we must invoque, but Jesus Christ. In effect, if we must invoque the Saints, they must know our hearts, to the end to discern sincere prayers from false; and it is that which none can do, the knowledge of the heart of man is a secret that God hath reserved to himself, God only knoweth the hearts of the children of men, saith the Holy Scripture in the second of Chronicles. But how should they know the secret ● 6. v. 30. thoughts of men, seeing that the Scripture assureth us, that neither have they any more a portion for ever in any ●… lesiast. ●…. v. 6. thing that is done under the Sun: it was without doubt for this reason that Elias told to his disciple Elisha, that if he had any thing to ask him, he should have asked it before he was carried up to Heaven; pre-supposing that when he should be there, Elisha could no more ask any thing of him. You see then clearly, that one must not invoque the Saints which are in Heaven, elevate Altars, offer Sacrifices to them, nor sing Hymns of Praises to their honour, as those of the Romish Church do. The first Christians have been so far from this false Worship, that not one saith any thing of it, in the three first Ages of the Church; nevertheless these Ages have seen Tertullians, Cyprians, Clements, Arnobes, Origens, and several others, who have all detested this conduct: so that some heretic, having risen up, who invoqued Angels as their Intercessors towards God, the Council of La●dicea condemned them by a Canon that was made on purpose: what would then this Council, and these Fathers say now, if they saw abuses that the Roman Church doth commit by invoquing the Saints? if they did hear in the prayers of Christians, speaking to them as to God himself, demanding the deliverance of their evils, praying them to conduct them in the way of Heaven, to blot out their sins, to enlighten them, and to defend them from their Enemies, they thunder without doubt Anathema against this false Worship, or at least they would retrench( as the Reformed Church doth) this abuse of the Church. But let us say something, before we finish, of the abuse which is committed in the Adoration of their Images; it is again an abuse that I dislike, and that the Reformed Church rejecteth, as well as Transubstantiation in the pretended Sacrifice of the Mass; but as this last is an abuse, for the clearing thereof one must have a more ample discourse then this of a little Chapter, I reserve myself to speak thereof in a Book that I hope to set forth suddenly, which shall speak only thereof. CHAP. VI. Against the Adoration of Images. THe Church of Rome hath passed from Spiritual Idolatry, to one very material, that is to say, from the Invocation of Saints, to the Worship of their Images: all the World knoweth, that having put Statues and Images upon his Altars, it causeth them to be adored, prayed unto, and offer Incense to them; they kiss them, they kneel before them, it is not an exaggeration; besides that daily experience sheweth it, the Council of Nice saith positively these words: We believe without doubt that Images of Jesus Christ, of the Virgin, of the Angels, and of Saints, must be adored; he must be Anath●ma who doubteth that they must adore them. The Council of Constantinople saith, That he who adoreth not the Image of Jesus Christ, let him not see his face in his second coming. And the Catechism of the Council of Trent, in the page. 483. of the Edition of louvain, approveth those that kneeling before the Image of St. Katherine( which Saint never was) say ( Our Father) it is that a multitude of people do every day, before an infinite number of different Images. But not only the people committeth this abuse, the Doctors themselves and the Priests practise it, saying Prayers which are addressed to insensible Images, to which they speak as if they were alive: Thus beginneth the Prayers that they say to the Image that they call commonly Veronica; God keep thee, O holy face of our Redeemer, imprinted in white Linen; O holy Image and happy Figure, &c. they speak to the Image of the across, have lignum triumphal. The excess of Idolaters have never been such, they never adored Statues in Statues, as Celsus in Origin doth very well show. It seemeth that it is not necessary to show that the holy Scripture condemneth this Worship, it sufficeth to remember only the second Commandment of God, who saith, in the 5th of Deuteronomy, 8th. verse. Thou shalt not make thee any graved Image, or any Likeness of any thing that is in Heaven above, or in the Earth beneath, or that is in the Waters beneath the Earth; Thou shalt not bow down thyself unto them, nor serve them, for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the Fathers upon the Children, unto the third and fourth Generation. There needs no more to abolish the worship of Images, but moreover the reproaches that God maketh to Jeroboam, for making of Images to himself, are so terrible, that show us enough how much this Idolatry displeaseth him: it was the reason why Ezechias, who apprehended to contradict the Commandment of God broken the Brazen Serpent, although it was the only hope of the People of Israel: And the Apostle who reproacheth so vehemently those Idolaters to have changed the glory of an incorruptible God, in the Image of a corruptible Man, doth not show us enough how much God condemneth this abuse. These are the principal Errors that I condemn in the Romish Church, God hath given me the grace to leave them, for to embrace the purity of the Gospel in the reformed Religion. And as it is the greatest advantage that can arrive to me in the World, I did believe myself obliged to make you partakers thereof, for the glory of God, and the edification of my Neighbours. I think myself again obliged to render this Witness to the reformed Church,( that God hath done me the grace to embrace) to say, that its Discipline is able to draw all those that have zeal for the ancient Discipline of the Church, and for the truth of its Doctrine; and that one cannot too much admire this government of the learned and wise Pastors, who are the Rule of their Flock, who do not lord over the House of God, who maintain by their examples that which they teach by their words, who instruct indefatigably their Sheep, who nourish them with the holy Word of God, after the manner that the Apostles did teach it, and who applying themselves to the two principal things that God hath left us in the World,( to wit, Prayer and his Word) form the one with the faithful finging the Psalms and Praises of God, and distribute the second with an easy and solid manner, capable not only to nourish them, but also to defend them puissantly against all their Enemies, visible and invisible. Be not amazed if I am no more what I was, and if I am that which you are; I was heretofore darkness, but now I am light in the Lord; I was heretofore kept in Chains of the Romish Church, and now I sing, The snare is broken, and I am delivered: In fine, I groaned heretofore under the weights of human Traditions, and now I am nourished with Divine Truth. Let us rejoice then, my Brethren, you and I, in the Militant Church, seeing tha● the Triumphant rejoiceth more for a sinner who is converted to the Lord, then for the ninety nine who persevered: let us rejoice with this Grace that God hath done me by his mercy, in saying with the Apostle, Gratia Dei sum id quod sum. FINIS.