LE DRAGON MISSIONAIRE: OR, THE DRAGOON TURNED APOSTLE. BEING A DIALOGUE BETWEEN A French Protestant-Gentleman, and a French Dragoon: WHEREIN The New-Way of Converting HERETICS by DRAGOONS Is very Lively and Truly Represented. To which is Annexed A LETTER OF MONSIEUR JURIEV, To a FRENCH GENTLEMAN of Quality, Upon His DRAGONARY CONVERSION.  
Translated out of the Original French.  
Suppressed in the Late Reign but now Reprinted 〈…〉   

THE MISSIONARY DRAGOON; OR, DRAGOON Turned APOSTLE.  Dragon, 
I Give you a Good. morrow, Sir, and am your most humble Servant; I have Orders from the King, together with my Comrades, to Visit you, and to exhort you in his Name to become a good Catholic, and to reconcile yourself to the Roman Catholic Church, from which you have so unjustly separated yourself, for to embrace a Religion, which an Age ago, was not in being; and which never had any other Fathers besides a company of miserable, Apostates: And in case you refuse to comply with this Proposal, we are further Empowered to live with you at Discretion, and to consume and devour all that belongs to you, to the very Walls and Timber of your Castle.  Gentleman, 
I will not say you are very Welcome, forasmuch as you are charged with such a severe Commission; I shall only tell you, that I cannot, neither have I the least thoughts to oppose myself against his Majesty's Orders, who may dispose of my Goods and Estates, yea of my Body also, according as it shall seem good unto him: Wherefore, Sir, I here abandon my House and Goods to your mercy, make waste and devour as pleases you best: I have but one Favour to beg at your hands, which is, that you would permit me to leave you absolute Masters of my House, and by retiring myself to give you the free and peaceable possession of it.  D. 
What? Sir, Do you refuse then to obey his Majesty, who desires nothing but your Good and Welfare both temporal and eternal? He requires nothing of you but your Conversion; and you need only to say, that you are willing to become a Roman Catholic, and you have satisfied him, and we shall be obliged to dislodge and leave you at your liberty,  G. 
I am willing to believe that the King is animated with abundance of Zeal for the Salvation of his Subjects; but I cannot believe that he desires I should Damn myself, at the same time he is so zealous to save me: He is too-clear sighted to be ignorant that whatsoever is done against a man's Conscience, is a great sin. Neither can I persuade myself, that he designs to make a company of Hypocritical Catholics; For if I, in the condition I find myself, should turn Roman Catholic, I should commit that which my Conscience represents to me as a most enormous and crying Sin; and at the best, I should be no more than a Sergeant Catholic, who as oft as he should go to Mass, could do no other than detest it, together with the Idol therein Adored. And do you think the King would be well-pleased to have that which he esteems his God, and which is the highest Object of his Adoration, to be thus continually blasphemed? Once more, Sir, therefore I beg of you, to give me leave to retire myself, and to leave you sole Masters here.  D. 
You speak too boldly, Sir, concerning the Religion of your Sovereign; how dare you treat him with the Title of Idolater, that is in plain terms, a Damned Person, for Idolaters shall not inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. Pray, Sir, be a little more cautious, and consider that you speak to Dragons; that is, to the zealous Missionaries for your Conversion: but don't go about to deprive us of your dear presence, for the King commands us to oblige you to keep us good and faithful company, as long as we stay in your House, and we intent to continue there, as long as there's any thing for us to spend and live upon; yea, what is more, till you have Declared and Signed that you are willing to become a Roman Catholic. Think therefore seriously of your Salvation, and of discharging Us as soon as may be; Obstinacy is the sole and distinguishing Character of Heresy; pray, Sir, don't you fall into it, nor oblige us to punish you for it.  G. 
I would with all my heart I could do what you exhort me to, without offending God, or wounding my own Conscience.  D. 
The King requires not that you should wound your Conscience, when He wishes you to become a Catholic, for he wills at the same time that the Truth be cleared up to you, and that all the Doubts and Scruples which trouble your Conscience, be taken away: But withal, you must keep yourself in a teachable Frame, and not wrangle about Niceties, as your Ministers do, who never will give way, nor grant any thing. Are you willing, Sir, that we send for a good Monk, who is not far off, and is able to remove and answer all your Scruples? He is a Reverend Father, of the Order of the Barefoot Carmelites, and is known by the Name of Father Cherubin, because of his Charity, Purity, and Angelical Knowledge. Indeed he cannot choose but be a most able man, for he understands the Arabic and the Persian Languages to a Miracle, and has long since (as 'tis said) converted thousands of Mahometans to the Christian Religion: He'll relate to you an infinite number of Miracles wrought by virtue of the Holy Scapulary, which you may receive from his hands, and with it enjoy all the Privileges and Immunities of that Holy Order.  G. 
I beseech you, Sir, send for no Monks to my House, for they are all perfect Visionaries and ignorant Fellows: And you, Sir, who so highly commend the Scapulary, do you wear one yourself?  D. 
No, Sir, for seeing it must be always worn next one's Skin, I should fear least Vermin and the Order might breed in it, and infect my Body, which, to tell you the truth, is not too sound already. And besides I love not many Vocal Prayers, and Fasting much less; neither do I give any great Credit to all those Miracles which are told in favour of the Holy Scapulary: I have known a Captain of Dragons who wore it continually, and attributed to it the Virtue of having saved him from many Dangers: Upon a time when he was in the Trenches, and exhorting one of his Comrades to take it on the first occasion, a Musquet-shot from the Enemy pierced him through and through, and drove part of the Scapulary into his Heart, so that he died upon the place; But however it's likely that the Scapulary, or its Shade, accompanied him into the other World, and afforded him the privilege of not continuing any longer in Purgatory than the next Saturday after. Well, Sir, since you do not affect Monks, we will take care you shall be instructed by a Learned Jesuit, whom we'll send for, if you think good.  G. 
I don't fancy the Jesuits any more than the Carmelites; And if I must needs be instructed (tho' I do not see myself to stand in need of it) I find you knowing enough in these matters for me to confer with; and the Compliment you made me at your first entrance, makes me suspect you may be some Monk or Jesuit in the Disguise of a Dragon, and that to the end you might not fright us Protestants too much, who cannot bear the sight of a Monk in his Cowle, without believing him a Devil in Masquerade. Those good Fathers, you know, are Omnis homo, they become all to all, and put themselves into what Figure or Disguise you please, the better to act their part, in returning to the Bosom of the Holy Mother Church, and reuniting to her, the Children she had lost. Pray tell me frankly, Sir, Are not you a counterfeit Dragon, but a true Jesuit?  D. 
Not in the least; tho' to tell you the truth, I have been worse than a Jesuit.  G. 
How so, I pray?  D. 
I have been for some years a Proponent or Candidate for the Ministry; but having found, after a diligent Application of myself to the Study of Controversies, that both the Proponentisme and Ministry of the Pretended Reformed Religion, were but a mere Vanity and prepossession of Spirit; and above all, a thing very pernicious to the Church, whose Peace they disturb with a thousand frivolous Disputes, which destroy the very Essence of Religion; viz. Piety and Charity. In a word, having found that Protestantisme had none of the best Principles, I turned Catholic, and became a Soldier, supposing that in this station I should prove more useful to my King and Country, than in acting a Preacher, and bolstering up the people in an Error. This makes me still retain a smatch of those things that formerly were my study and employ.  G. 
Since it is so, we have no need of Monks nor Priests; forasmuch as you cannot but know, better than they, what the things are which pinch Protestants most, and is the very Remora of their Conversion.  D. 
It is true what you say, Sir, only I have forgot to dispute in Mood and Figure, as a Sorbonist or Father Jesuit might do.  G. 
All the better for that; these modal Argumentators, and men of Syllogisms confound all with their Sophistry, Ergoing, and Distinctions: And indeed, for the most part, they are no better than mere Pedants, and insupportable to all ingenious men.  D. 
Be it so; However (since you put me upon it) I will endeavour to prove that you ought to become a Catholic, and that with this Syllogism: If your Ancestors did without just ground separate themselves from the Romish Church, than it is your duty to return to her again. But your Ancestors have without just grounds separated themselves: Therefore, etc.  G. 
I defy the whole Sorbonne, and the Gentlemen of Port Royal, to argue more exactly. I perceive now it will go very hard with me, and that I must prepare myself for a very rude Shock, who have to deal with a Dragon, and a Proponent converted, both at once; but Patience, in answer to your Syllogism. I say, that my Ancestors had great reason to separate themselves from Rome, forasmuch as they saw, they could not be saved in case they continued in her Communion.  D. 
We must never separate ourselves from the true Church upon any pretext whatsoever; for without the Church here is no Salvation: And the Church of Rome is this true Church, forasmuch as she alone hath been always visible, and the most extended and comprehensive of all others. Now it is apparent that the true Church must needs be the most visible and most extended of all others that are called Christian.  G. 
I don't see but that the Greek Church is every whit as comprehensive as the Romish Church, and hath in all times-been as visible as it. But where have you learned that the true Church must always be visible and most comprehensive?  D. 
Of St. Augustin, where he Disputes against the Donatists.  G. 
Don't you know that St. Augustin was a man, as you and I, subject to Error; and that he himself elsewhere exhorteth us to give heed to no other Authority besides that of the Divine Scriptures? And you who are so ready to jump with him in this Point, would you be as willing to believe with him, That Infants dying without Baptism, and without the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ, are damned as much as the Devils themselves and Reprobates?  D. 
No surely, but however it must be granted, that without the Church there is no Salvation; and consequently the same must needs be always visible, that men in all times may enter into Communion with it, and so be saved.  G. 
The Scripture no where saith so: It is without Jesus Christ that there is no Salvation; And as for the Church, true it is, That we are to enter into Communion with it, but that is, when we can see and find it; and all those whom the true Church doth cast out of her Communion upon just grounds, are in a state of damnation.  D. 
What? Sir, Will you suppose then that the Church of God can perish and cease upon Earth?  G. 
By no means, for Jesus Christ will always have his faithful Ones to the end of the World; yet that hinders not but they may be oft hid from the Eyes of men and unknown to them.  D. 
How is it possible then, that men in all times should be saved?  G. 
By means of the Gospel, which the Divine Providence will take care shall be preserved upon Earth till the end of the World; and by the owning of those Christian Truths, in which all Christians do agree.  D. 
You are very subtle; but in the mean time you cannot deny but that your Church and Religion are but of Yesterday, since they were never heard of in the World before Luther and Calvin.  G. 
Pray be pleased to look upon this Book, open it and read it.  D. 
Why? This is the New Testament.  G. 
And there, Sir, you have the Authors of my Church and of my Religion; I hold it from Jesus Christ and his Apostles, and from their first Successors.  D. 
That cannot be, Sir, for your Ministers came not that way; they are without Succession, or any lawful Call; and they have either made themselves Pastors, or have been Ordained by the People.  G. 
Not so, for the greatest part of them came from the Church of Rome, and so preserved the Call they received there, and the rest were confirmed and approved by them. In a word, we find that Jesus Christ hath committed to Believers the Authority of the Ministerial Function. But you Mr. Dragon, who are so sharp upon others, from whence pray do you come? And from whence do you derive your Mission?  D. 
From Father lafoy Chaise, and from Monsieur Maimbourg, formerly a Jesuit, and from the whole Body of the Clergy.  G. 
But, Sir, the persons you name are no Dragons; and a Dragon must descend in a right Line from another Dragon; as amongst you, a Priest derives his Authority from a Priest, and a Bishop from a Bishop.  D. 
Alas, Sir, you are mistaken, there are more Devils and Dragons than I; forasmuch as they are the Master-Dragons, and the Princes of Dragons; and for us, we do nothing but by Virtue of their Mission, and by the Spirit and Authority they communicate unto us. Lewis the Great, is he not the Head of the Gallican Church?  G. 
As for that, what you please, Sir; but in the mean time, behold here a new kind of Mission, and a Call so altogether extraordinary, that I think you are obliged to prove and confirm it by some Miracle.  D. 
And so we do every day; and what is more, I do intent to work a Miracle here in your presence, yea upon your own person.  G. 
How so?  D. 
Why, the Miracle is this; That I shall assuredly make a Catholic of you in spite of your Teeth, and make you go to Mass, notwithstanding all the resistance you can make to the contrary. These, Sir, are our Miracles altogether unknown and unheard of till now, and which far surpass those of Jesus Christ and his Apostles.  G. 
The Prodigies you speak of are a sort of Miracles indeed, but such as derive from the Red Dragon, from whom you hold your Mission, and you are those Waters which he casts forth after the Woman that fleeth into the Desert.  D. 
Fair and softly, Sir, I pray,; you take too much liberty. Do you know of whom, and to whom you speak? When you speak to a Dragon, and of the King of Dragons, the greatest King upon Earth, yea the God of this World: You ought to speak with the greatest Respect imaginable. And, Sir, I tell you once more to your Teeth, that I will convert you in spite of you. We have already drawn down and cast headlong into our Bottomless Pit the third part of the Stars in the Huguenot Heaven, and shall you think to resist us? No, Sir, know you must come down thither as well as the rest: for it is written, That the Beast, that is, a Dragon-King (according to the language of St. John) who ariseth out of the bottomless Pit, shall make war with the Witnesses of the Gospel, and shall overcome and slay them. Don't you already see the execution of this Sentence? Don't you see their dead bodies lying in the Streets of our great City? For indeed there is no more life in them, and they are no more than dead Carcases.  G. 
Alas, Sir, this pitiful and frightful Spectacle makes me melt in Tears; and would to God you had only slain the bodies of your Enemies.  D. 
Our great Master and King resembles God in this, and we, as well as he, kill both Body and Soul together.  G. 
If you would be pleased to prosecute the History of the Destiny of those dead Witnesses, you shall find that after three days the Spirit of Life shall re-enter into them, and that they shall arise from the Ground where they now lie slain.  D. 
O, Sir, the meaning of that is, That of bad Catholics and Hypocrites as they are now, they shall become true and zealous Catholics.  G. 
I believe the same, but not in your sense.  D. 
Well, I think we have now disputed enough of Conscience, and that you cannot but be cleared of all your Scruples; think therefore of Converting yourself, and that without delay.  G. 
In the Name of God, Sir, do not go about to force me to betray my Conscience, nor to bend my Knees before the Calves of Dan and Bethel.  D. 
You are a Fool to talk so, I don't desire you to Worship any thing but the Holy Sacrament, which I am sure is neither Cow nor Calf.  G. 
But it is Bread, and Bread is inferior to a Calf, forasmuch as it is a living Creature.  D. 
I grant it, but the Calves of Dan were Gold or Brass, or some other like matter, and Bread is better than all that.  G. 
You would then have me to Worship Bread.  D. 
Not at all, but the Body of J. C. hid in the Bread, or in the presence of Bread, which Bread is the Image or Symbol of the same.  G. 
But still if it be no more than Bread, I cannot Worship mere Bread.  D. 
You must believe, and firmly imprint in your Imagination that the Body of Christ is there; and in case you have not command enough over your own Spirit to make it believe this, than you may adore J. C. whilst you prostrate yourself before the Sacrament, in like manner as you might do at the sight of a Crucifix.  G. 
If I might be suffered to declare and protest, that I Worship neither the Bread nor the Wine in the Sacrament, and that I don't believe that Christ in his proper substance is hid in them, I should make no difficulty of doing what you say.  D. 
If that be all that hinders you to become one of us, the business is done: Go to, Sir, I give you leave to declare and protest what you please, provided you be no longer Huguenot or Schismatic.  G. 
Ay, Sir, it were well if the Bishops were of as easy a temper and composition as you are, but without that nothing can be expected.  D. 
I dare engage my word all this will be granted you, upon condition you'll but go to Mass,  G. 
I cannot believe that, for after all their promising and permitting us whatsoever we demand, they will have us believe all the Church believes, and that without exception.  D. 
You are mistaken, Sir, they have something else to do than to trouble themselves about what you believe, or not believe; they are satisfied when you only tell them you do believe.  G. 
Forasmuch as I can perceive then, the Thing required of us, is, that we be Liars and Hypocrites.  D. 
I can't say anything to that, but at the most, it it but a Trifle and mere Formality, and deserves not that you should so subtly canvas it. Besides, we are sufficiently convinced, that when you say you believe, you do not speak the truth.  G. 
Why, that is the thing which so much the more surpriseth me; for if it be so, you are altogether inexcusable, in obliging us to make Declarations, which you know are only made from the Teeth outward, and we cannot but sin in making those Declarations, under what pretext soever, for in doing so, we deny the Truth, and betray our Conscience.  D. 
Well, and what if you do? Do not the most part of your Minister's sign the Confession of Faith of your Churches, and the Synod of Dort, yet without believing all that is contained in the same; yea notwithstanding that they are for usniversal Redemption, or Arminians, or even Socinians also.  C. 
I can scarcely believe what you tell me: But besides, Sir, it is the Law of God which alone must be the Rule of our Actions, and not the Examples or Conduct of Men.  D. 
Sir, I must return upon you as before, that you stick at a mere Nicety and Formality; for my part I should be loath for so small a matter to hazard my Estate, my Honour, and my Life to boot.  G. 
You argue very politicly, but a Christian must not reason so: Our Lord doth not permit us to do the least evil, that good may come of it. Besides, there are many other things in your Mass which are a great offence to me: As first it is Celebrated in a Tongue I don't understand, and suppose I d●d understand something of it, most of the people understand no Latin at all. The Saints are Invocated, and God is prayed unto, with the Intervention of their Merits, which are put into conjunction with those of I, C. and yet we know that J. C. alone is our Mediator, Advocate and Intercessor with God, and that it is by him alone and his Merits, that we have Access to the throne of Grace. The greatest Saints that ever were, have stood in need of this intercession, and have been saved by it alone: And if this was not so, yet what reason have we to pray to those that are dead, who neither see nor hear us, as being out of the Commerce of this World, and far removed from us. Moreover your Mass is a Sacrilegious Communion, for the Assistants are invited to it, but upon Condition that they do not present themselves to Receive, and to those that do present themselves, they give only the one half of what J. C. commands should be given and taken. In a word there is no going to Mass without kneeling, or seeing others kneel before Images; which is a thing expressly for bid by the divine Law. Now if any one be present at Mass, he must either do all these things himself, or at least partake with the Sins of those that do them.  D. 
That the Latin used in the Mass may be no rub in your way, it will be translated into French, for the use of the People: Nay it is promised that the Mass shall be publicly celebrated in our Mother Tongue to comply with your weakness; and as for Prayers addressed to Saints, if they do no good, at least they do no hurt, and all other things in the Mass which may offend pious and tender Ears will be altered; nay more, it is promised that the Cup shall be given to those who demand it, provided always, that none be so bold to demand it on his own private Authority. I'll suppose with you that it is an unjust thing to refuse the Cup to the Laity; however, suffer it as a piece of injustice and oppession; are you to answer for the Sins of your Superiors? Celebrate the Lord's Supper if you please in your own Houses, but do it so as the Curate may not perceive it, for otherwise we should be charged with a second Mission to perfect your holy Conversion. What you allege of Images offends me as well as you, and I could wish I had Orders to rid the Church of them, as I have to clear your House of whatsoever is good to eat, drink, or make money of, which if I had, I protest to you, I would soon dislodge them all, without sparing so much as one of them; wherefore in the mean time to free one self from the Gild of this Idolatry, it is enough to inveigh against Images, and as far as lies in our Power to bring them into dislike and detestation with others, and more than this you are not obliged to. See there Sir (if I mistake not) all your scruples removed, and doubts resolved; I hope therefore you are ready and willing now to become a Catholic?  G. 
You take them away indeed very much like a Cavalier, but let me tell you, not at all like a Christian.  L. 
Well I have no more to say to you; and therefore do summon you once more in the Name of the King my Master to become a Catholic. What do you believe his Majesty is damned?  G. 
Pray Sir don't turn your discourse that way; if you were in Turkey, and that a Turk should bespeak you to become a Musulman, with this Emphasis, what do you think his Highness is damned? would you be pleased with this Discourse? The King believes he does well in following the Religion he professeth; and as for me, I should think I sinned if I followed the same, or professed the same against my Conscience. Pray Sir, would you yourself be willing, that others should force you to become an Huguenot in spite of your Teeth?  D. 
Alas Sir how good and simple you are! as for our parts we are for any thing that pleaseth the King, and if the Great Lewis would think fit to embrace the Alcoran, we would readily comply with it; we blindly follow the Orders and Will of that August Monarch, who is as infallible as either his Father or his Mother; for he is the eldest Son of the Holy Father the Pope, and the Holy Mother the Church, and he shall be so in spite of all those that envy him, be it Flemings, Hollanders, English, Germans, booted, spurred, armed, Cap a Pie, or whosoever else you please.  G. 
All these Titles are denied him in all other Parts, except here in France.  D. 
No matter for that, we are in France, and do not trouble ourselves about Strangers: But enough of this discoursing, I summon you a third time in the Name of the King to become a Catholic.  G. 
I have been so long since.  D. 
Roman Catholic, I mean.  G. 
Is it not enough then, to be a Catholic?  D. 
No, you must be a Roman Catholic; and I have Orders to make all of your House to become Roman Catholics, beginning with you, and ending with the Dag and Cat, which we will bring along to Mass, that they may keep you company there, but you shall march first at the head of them.  The Gentleman endeavours to make his Escape. D. 
Whither do you think to flee, you must obey either willingly or by force. Hither Comrades, come help to bind this obstinate Heritick, I think the Devil is in him, pray cast abundance of Holy Water upon him, let the holy Father Mogileon be sent for, the spiritual and carnal Father of so many Children in France, and out of France, and who knows how to exorcise the magdalen's of this Age, better than any Austin Friar or Carmelite in Europe.  The R. Father Mogileon, enters with a sprinkling Brush in his right Hand, a Stole above his Neck, and a Book of Exorcisutes in his left Hand. F. 
Mogil. I exorcise thee Creature Huguenot, by the H. God by the true God, by the living God, and by him who shall come to judge the World by Fire; unclean Spirits of Luther, of Zuinglius, of Calvin, and of Beza, who art come hither through the Woods and Forests of Germany, over the Mountains of the Alps, the Rocks of Switserland, the Vallies of Lucern and Agronne, and the pestilent Lake of Geneva; Spirit of Schism, Sedition, and Apostasy, depart at this very instant out of this Body, designed to be filled with the Holy Spirit which proceeds from his Holiness, which speaks nothing of itself, and inspires nothing but what his Author pleaseth: A Spirit, who, when it pleaseth him, walks on the Ti●er, the Pau, and the Thesin, goes a Foot, rides on Horseback, in a Coach, or in a Chariot, may be shut up in a Portmantle, a Packet of Letters, or any thing you please; Spirit of Submission, of Faith, and of Blind Obedience; Spirit Roman Catholic, enter thou into this Body and Soul, possessed by the Devil of Calvinism, in the Name of St. Francis, of St. Dominick, and of the Patriarch Ignatius Loyola.  G. 
Ah Sirs, cast as much Holy Water as you please upon, me but don't beat me with the Sprinkler.  D. 
We do this, that the Water may the better enter into your Body, and extinguish the Fire of Heresy.  G. 
Nay if you be resolved to kill me with blows, at least let me not languish under your hands, but dispatch me forthwith I beg of you.  D. 
Not so, we are forbid to kill you; but we shall so plague you, if you be not presently converted, that Death will seem sweet to you in comparison of the Sufferings we are prepareing for you.  They place the Gentleman before agreat Fire, and hold his feet to the burning Flames, and so burn them by degrees; the violence of which Suffering, makes him fall from himself, bringing him to the fire again, they demand of him, whither he be willing to go to Mass. D. 
What, are not you yet converted? and will not you go to Mass.  G. 
Ah Sirs! how would you have me to go, now you have burnt my Feet and Legs?  D. 
We will either carry you, or cause you to be carried.  G. 
O Lord Jesus have pity on me and strengthen me.  D. 
I find we must once more approach you to the Flame, that you may be more enlightened.  They bring him to the Fire as before, and begin again to burn his Feet, he faints under the extremity of the Torture and, saith: G. 
Take me away and do with my Body whatsoever you please.  D. 
What? shall we carry you to Mass?  G. 
Wither you please, to a Mosque if you think good.  D. 
Did not I tell you I would do a Miracle here, and that I would convert you whither you would or no. The Glory of all be rendered to the Great King of Dragons, to his Holy Father Confessor, and all other Subordinate Instruments in this Great Work.   

A LETTER OF MONSIEUR JURIEV, To a French GENTLEMAN, Upon his Changing his RELIGION.  
SIR,  
I Have been so afflicted and astonished with the stroke of your Fall, that tho' I feel myself obliged to reach you my hand for to raise you again, yet have I not been at liberty to do it till now. I begin only a little to recover myself from my Astonishment, but my Affliction still continues, and will, till you return from whence you have gone astray. I know, Sir, that you have been surprised, and that for your overthrow there hath been employed the Name, the Orders, and Sovereign Power of the King, the Ability, the Caresses, the Instances, and the Authority of his greatest Ministers; the Numbers, the Force, the Quartering, and Havocking of Soldiers; the Disguisements, condescension, and credit of the most famous Prelates; the example of Cities, and whole Provinces: And last of all, the fairest promises, and the most terrible threats: and that besides all these, you have flattered yourself with many other thoughts, not necessary for me to dive into. And indeed upon the review of all these, it is no more a matter of so great astonishment to me, that such a throng of extraordinary Objects have surprised and dashed you out of Countenance; a less, thing often does it: But now that your surprise and terror ought to have ceased, you ought also to recover yourself from the disorder into which they have cast you.  
Let us, Sir, in cold blood and at leisure, consider a while and take a view of the Religion you have forsaken, and of that which you have newly embraced: That which you have forsaken, acknowledges no other Father but God, nor other Head besides Jesus Christ, nor other Spirit but that of the Father, and the Eternal Son. The only Object of all its Devotions, of its Faith, Love, Hope, and acknowledgement; the only Source and foundation of its Joy and Salvation, is the said ever blessed and adorable Trinity. It hath no other Rule of its Doctrine, Maxims, and Conduct, but the Holy Scripture. Its Ministers attribute no other power to themselves, except that of Teaching the Gospel, and to press the Observance of it by their Word and Examples, as mere Teachers and Directors, without pretending to any power over the Consciences, Bodies or Estates of their Disciples: Nay, more than that, recommending very carefully to them, to examine whatsoever they hold forth to them by the Rule of Holy Scripture, and forbidding to believe them any further, than they find them conform to the same. To this purpose they neither speak themselves, nor make God speak to his People, but in a known Language, and with all their might continually press the reading and study of the Holy Word. In a word, the Religion you have renounced, is nothing else but the sincere and true Profession of the Gospel.  
That which you have now embraced is quite of another Nature; for to give you a Draught of it in little, It is a Religion of which the Pope is Father and Head; and Rome the Mother and Nurse; Concupiscence its Spirit and Heart, a Wafer its God, the Worship of Creatures its Devotion, it's own Authority the highest Law; whose Ministers are Lords and absolute Princes, and its Votaries so many Slaves which are continued in Slavery, by hiding the Law of God from them, by speaking to them in a Barbarous Tongue, by prescribing to them a superstitious Worship, and frighting them with the Phantasms of this World, and that which is to come. And to speak to you more frankly, and to call things by their own Names; the Father, Bridegroom, and Head of the Church of Rome is the Antichrist; her Mother is Babylon, and her Spirit, is the Spirit of Lies, of Murder, and impure Lusts; her God is an Idol, her Worship Idolatry, her Sovereign Power, Tyranny, her Ministers, Tyrants, and her Votaries so many unhappy Wretches, whose Liberty, Repose, Estates, yea Bodies and Souls are sacrificed to that Cruel and Insatiable Beast of the Revelation.  
The Bounds I have set myself of keeping within the narrow compass of a Letter, will not allow me to enter upon any ample Demonstrations, and large Deductions of what I have just now in few words hinted; yet they leave me room enough to convince you, if any love of Truth, or desire of your own Salvation be left with you.  
I take or granted as an avowed Truth, that the Pope is the Head and Father of the Church of Rome, wherefore nothing remains for me to prove, but that He is the Antichrist; and this I'll endeavour with this one Argument. which contains as many more as it consists of Parts, and is of unquestionable Truth. If the Characters which the Holy Scripture gives us of Antichrist, do agree with and meet in the Pope, it is evident that he is Antichrist. This we will inquire into as briefly as may be.  
The first Character which the Holy Scripture gives us of Antichrist, is, That he should departed and apostatise from the Faith, and addict himself to seducing Spirits, and to Doctrines of Devils: That he should teach Lies in hypocrisy, having his Conscience feared with an hot Iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, 1 Tim. 4. 2 Thes. 2.3. All which is fulfilled according to the Letter, in the Person and Conduct of the Pope. He is departed from the Faith and sound Doctrine, and hath made others go astray from the some by himself and other Deceivers he hath employed. In stead of the Truth, he hath taught Lies; and all this in Hypocrisy; i. e. Under the Name and Cloak of Godliness and Religion. For this Impostor attributes to himself the Title, Authority and Privilege of a faithful Minister of God: He does nothing (if we will believe him) but for advancing of the Divine Glory, and the Salvation of Souls: He makes a great show of being for Jesus Christ, and seeking nothing but his Kingdom: He hath the Horns of the Lamb, and takes to himself his Authority, his Office, and Glory; but he hath the Voice of the Dragon. His word is like that of the Devil, false, deceitful, proud, and murderous: His whole Conduct and behaviour of himself, is a Mystery, but a Mystery of Iniquity: a Mystery in appearance, but Iniquity indeed and in truth: His Conscience is seared with an hot Iron; that is, He is insensible of the Checks of it, and hardened in all manner of sin: He forbids Marriage, and commands to abstain from Meats which God hath blessed.  
The second Character of Antichrist, is, The Man of sin, 2 Thes. 2.3. This also fits the Pope; and to be convinced of it, you need only to read the History of their Lives, writ by Papists themselves; you'll find there, that there is no Vice, which they have not made profession of, nor Crime, which they have not committed; yea, what is more, taught and authorized, not only by their Examples, but also by their Dispensations and Indulgences, and by the Tax and Rate-Book they have made of the particular Sums of Money payable to the Apostolic Chancery for the Pardon of every sin. And lastly, also by hiis Emissaries, such as are the Monks, and above all the Jesuits, who as they have overturned the Gospel, by opposing the Doctrine of Grace, so have they also annulled the Commands of the Law, by the Maxims of their Newfound Morality.  
3. Antichrist sitteth as God in the Temple of God, and exalteth himself above all that is called God, 2 Thes. 2.4. That this also is the Character of the Pope, is plain; He extolleth himself above all the Church of Christ, and not only attributes to himself the Name of God, but also his Infallibility, Sovereignty, Omnipotence, and Glory, for he causes himself to be Worshipped as if he were God indeed: He exalts himself above all that is called God; That is, above Kings and Princes, whom the Scripture calls Gods, pretending to be the Master and Disposer of their Crowns and Properties; and not only so, but above the Gods of the Roman Church; I mean her Saints and Saintesses, because he hath the power by his Canonization to Deify them: above the God of the Mass, which he can unmake at pleasure, and his Priests also, by power received from him, and can make it again, when it is made, and which he causes to be carried on Horseback, whilst himself is carried upon the Shoulders of Princes; yea he doth even extol himself above the living and true God, by dispensing with his Laws, abrogating them, and making others contrary to them; and moreover by attributing to himself the power of doing what God can not; viz. To make Vice Virtue, and Virtue Vice, and that which is Sin, no Sin, and which is no Sin, to be Sin.  
The fourth Character of Antichrist is Idolatry, Rev. 17. Which so exactly suits with the Pope, as nothing more; for his Idolatry is so universal: and crying, that it is become the Offence and Detestation both of Heaven and Earth, Believers and Infidels, yea of many who live in communion with him.  
5. Antichrist was to set forth a false Christ, and by his Doctrines concerning the same, was to overthrow the manifestation of Jesus Christ in flesh, and the Essential Properties of his Body and Blood, Matth. 24.23, 24. and 1 John 4.3. And does not the Pope hold forth a false Christ; viz. that in the Mass? and doth he not attribute to Jesus Christ a more fantastic and false Body than ever Martion did, or the rest who have opposed his Humane Nature?  
6. The coming of Antichrist was to be with power and signs, and lying wonders. 2 Thes. 2.9. and how many false Miracles hath the Pope, and doth still employ for to Authorise his Errors, Superstitions, and ungrounded Pretensions?  
7. Antichrist also according to Scripture, was to be a great Merchant, dealing in all sorts of Merchandizes, whether of this World or the other, of Heaven and of Earth, yea and of Hell too, and of the Bodies and Souls of men: For what is it which the Pope doth not either buy or sell? What can you name which he doth not make Money of? Or what can be done with him without Money? What Trade hath he not driven with Souls, since they have been sold for Money? All these Marks taken jointly together (for they must not be taken apart) cannot be found in any person save that of the Pope only.  
We will add for the vl and last Mark, his having his Seat where Antichrist was to have his; viz. at Babylon, and this Babylon is Rome, which is the Mother of this Religion: For it is this Woman, this great City, who reigned over the Kings of the Earth, in the time of St. John, Rev. 17.18. Which cannot be said of Constantinople, which at that time had no such dominion. This is that City seated upon seven Hills, Rev. 17.9. which is so clear and distinguishing a Character of Rome, that both the Ancient and Modern Doctors, not excepting the Papists themselves; as Bellarmine, Baronius, Ribera, Viegas, and many others, do own and allow it as well as we.  
The Antichristianisme of the Pope and his Religion, doth also most evidently shine forth in the Spirit which animates that whole Body, as well as the Head of it, which is the Spirit of lying, of murder, and impurity.  
As for the Spirit of lies, that reigns universally in the Church of Rome; this Spirit is the Father of all those Errors wit which it swarms; the Inventor of so many pious Cheats, of so many false Revelations, of so many counterfeit Miracles, of so many supposititious Relics, of so many fabulous Stories and Legends, which are so solemnly and seriously exposed there, and of so many Gulls and Cheats, as she puts upon her new Converts. The same Spirit is the Author of so many horrible Slanders wherewith they blacken the Church of God, and his faithful Servants: It is he hath established that Maxim, That Faith is not to be kept with Heretics; that Equivocations and mental Reservations are lawful; and that the Pope hath power to dispense with the most inviolable Oaths that may be. From the same Source have been derived all those Perfidious deal with the Protestants in France, by Repealing the most solemnly sworn and ratified Edicts, and by publishing others quite contrary to them.  
Neither is the Spirit of Cruelty and Murder less in vogue in the said Church: Who can enumerate all the Barbarous Cruelties committed by the Holy Office of the Inquisition; (as they are not ashamed to call it) the bloody Wars, Massacres, Poisonings, Assassinations, and Butcheries which that Religion hath, and still doth put in practice in the four parts of the World; or those only she hath been the Author of in Germany, Bohemia, Hungaria, France, the Low Countries, England, Scotland, Ireland, and Italy? The Protestants of France formerly have been, and are now at present a most sad and convincing Instance of this Truth. The Cruelty of this Religion appears also by her condemning to Hell universally all other Christian Communions whatsoever, and in that there is not the least Article she professes, to which she hath not annexed an Eternal Anathema against all those who shall dare to contradict or deny it.  
And for the Spirit of Impurity, it hath so perfectly got the Mastery and Dominion over that Church, that it even reigns in those places, which one would believe, should be the Refuge of shamefacedness and Chastity; I mean even in Rome the Holy, and throughout the whole Patrimony of the Church, in their places for Confession, in their Mon asteries of the one as well as the other Sex; in the habitations of their Clergy throughout whole Spain, which is so Emphatically Catholic, and throughout whole Italy, which one would think, should not approve nor tolerate any such filthiness, as being the own. Country and Seat of the Holy Father, and his Holy Court. And that no man may here allege that these Disorders are not Authorized nor approved of; it is most notorious that the Pope draws a yearly Revenue from the Public Stews which are solemnly established in all the Cities of his Dominion; that the Casuists even the most famous and of greatest Authority with that Communion, do favour the practice of the most detestable and unnatural filthiness, which the Spirit of Uncleanness can possibly suggest to men; yea all the Popish Divines do declare with a loud voice, that it is better for their Clergy to burn in the fire of all sorts of Uncleanness, than to be Married.  
But this Communion is not only guilty of Corporal filthiness and impurity, but also of that which is Spiritual, that is, Idolatry: For according to what was said before, the very God of that Religion is an Idol. What God is it which she serves? and to the Worship of which she will compel and force the whole Earth? To whom doth she Erect her Altars, Consecrate her Festivals, her Offerings, her Vows and Prayers? To whom doth she betake herself upon all occasions, whether Ordinary, or Extraordinary? To whom doth she address her most solemn Adorations? Is it not to the God of the Mass? even to a God which the Priest makes every day of a little Water and Flower, after he hath mumbled four or five Latin words over it, and which he devours after he hath made it? And this God, can it be supposed, ought else but an Idol? And must not a man be deprived of the light of Sense, and of Reason, and of Faith, before he can in the least doubt of it?  
But to convince the most prepossed of this Truth, from their own Principles; is it not agreed upon by all, that the Object of the Worship of true Religion cannot be doubtful or uncertain? For they are false Religions which worship that which they know not, as our Lord said of that of the Samaritans; and is it not true and incontestable, that the Object of the Worship of the Roman Church is uncertain and doubtful? Is any one assured; nay, is it possible that any one should be so, that J. C. is really present in the Species of the Eucharist, since that depends upon the intention of the Priest that celibrates Mass, according to the express decision of the Council of Trent. And who can be certain, that this or that Priest had the intention of fixing him there, or that he had it not? and supposing he had the intention, who can be assured that his intention is accomplished; and that our Saviour in obedience to the same, hath indeed hid himself under the Species of Bread and Wine? And if this Object be thus uncertain, the Religion of Rome must needs be so likewise. Again, if this Object be doubtful, it can never be the Object of Faith, nor of true Devotion; it cannot be the Deity, nor indeed any thing else but a mere Idol. But alas, this is not the alone Idol which Rome Adores, she hath as many more of the number as there are Angels, yea Saints and Saintesses in Heaven, and as there are Popes, Crosses, Images, and Relics upon earth; for she bestows Religious Worship upon all these in the sight and ken of the whole World; and consequently she cannot but be guilty of Idolatry, and that in so high a degree, that she may justly boast of worshipping the vainest of all Idols; for never were any more vain than her Wafers are; and of having raised Idolatry to that pitch, beyond which no farther advance can be expected; for there is no Instance in all the Records of Time, of a more transported and besotted Dovotion, than that which she hath for that piece of Paste.  
Now, tho' all this be indeed prodigious and amazing, yet behold here another Instance which is no less surprising and unaccountable; which is, That the Romish Church hath erected herself for an Idol and Object of her own Adoration, and which she imposeth upon others to worship as God: For she attributes to herself Infallibility, and a Sovereign Independence and Authority, Characters which are the Propriety of God alone. She imposeth her Decisions as so many Divine Oracles, and will have them received for this sole reason, because they seem good in her Eyes. She hath the boldness to maintain, That all the Articles of Faith depend upon her Authority; that it is from her we hold the Greatest Mysteries of our Christian Religion; as that of the Trinity, of the Incarnation, Grace, etc. She raiseth her Authority so far above that of the Holy Scriptures, that she maintains the Holy Scriptures to have no other Authority but what she gives to them, and that without Her, we are no more obliged to believe the Word of God, than that of Mahomet: which is Beauties own Comparison. In a word, according to her Principles, I must not believe in God, but only upon the Faith and Credit of the Romish Church; that is, she treats the true God, as Pagan Rome was wont to deal with her false ones; She makes him depend upon the goodliking of Man: Yea what is more, she lifts up herself above God, for she will be believed upon her word, but allows not that God should be believed upon his: So that instead of those words which so emphatically preface many passages in the Prophets; Thus saith the Lord; we must put, Thus saith the Church. From whence it is apparent, that the Church of Rome believes in its self; for if the reason why we are to believe any thing, be not because God hath said it, but because the Church saith so; it follows that the Church believes because she wills or commands herself to believe, and consequently she must be the Foundation and Rule of her own Faith.  
Another thing very wonderful in this Principle of hers, is, that when any of the Members of this Communion hath a desire to know what it is that the Church requires him to believe, he must content himself and acquiesce in the testimony of one sole person; viz. of the Pope, a Bishop, or his own Curate; and when any one of these tell him, that this is the Doctrine of the Church, he must acquiesce in what he hath said; for if he should not, there is no way remaining for his satisfaction, but one; viz. That the Church must be perpetually assembled in an Ecumenical Council, for to resolve him what he ought to believe, and what not? And thus these Gentlemen that won't allow me to believe all the Prophets and Apostles together, nay nor God himself speaking to me in the Scriptures, yet will have me believe a single Curate, or a single Bishop. And that this is their plain and full meaning, is so apparent, that if any particular person should pretend to make any difficulty so to do, or to reject the slightest of those Decisions which his Pastor assures him to be the Determinations of the Church, they would prosecute him even after his Death, and condemn him to the very Torments of Hell. And now pray tell me whether any thing can be imagined more Exorbitant than this Tyranny of the Church and Clergy of Rome, or any Slavery to be compared with that of her Votaries? The Canon beginning with these words; Si Papa, d. 40. c. 6. Carries this Tyranny and this Slavery to that pitch, as to affirm, That if the Pope should carry the Souls of men in great flocks to the Devil, he must be let alone without presuming to control or contradict him.  
By virtue of this Authority it is that the Church of Rome doth set up and establish new Mediators, which in a manner (saith Bellarmin) may be called our Redeemers; she Ordains an infinite number of new Devotions, invents new Mysteries; as that of Transubstantiation, a new Sacrifice of Propitiation, that of the Mass; creates a new Ministry, that of the Pope and his Cardinals; found'st new Religions, those of the several sorts of Monks; makes new Laws, those of Tradition; institutes new Sacraments; viz. Confirmation, Auricular Confession, Orders, Marriage, and Extreme Unction. She dispenseth with the Laws of God, with the Obedience of Children to Parents, and of Subjects to their Princes: She adds to the Commands of God those of the Church, that is her own: She takes from the Commands of God; viz. the second; she allows what God forbids, suffering public Stews; and forbids what God permits, in forbidding Marriage and Meats; yea what is more, she commands what God expressly forbids; viz. the worshipping of Images, and forbids what he expressly commands; viz. the Communion under both kinds.  
See here, Sir, enough to make up a Letter, and enough also to convince you of your horrible fall in quitting our Religion, and embracing that of Rome. I won't make it my task to dispute with your Wit and Reason, nor before Men; I'll only dispute with your Conscience, and that before God: I therefore adjure you by your Conscience, and by God, who sees all things, who must judge you one day, to answer me truly to some Questions I shall put to you. Are you fully satisfied in the Abjuration you have made? Are you throughly persuaded in your heart (as your new Religion obligeth you to be) that the Religion you have quitted, is Heretical, Schismatical, and Damnable; and that on the contrary, that of Rome is the only true and saving Religion? Do you believe in good earnest, that Jesus Christ hath indeed granted to the Pope all the Authority he boasts of and takes to himself? For in case he attributes to himself that which in no wise belongs to him, he can be no other than a false Pastor, and an Usurper. Do you believe firmly that in the Mass there is made a Transubstantiation; viz. a change of the substance of the Bread, into that of the Body of Jesus Christ; and of the substance of the Wine, into that of his Blood; and that he is present in Body and Soul in the outward species or appearance of Bread and Wine; and that he is to be adored there, tho' it be as impossible to be assured that he is there indeed, as it is to know the bottom of the heart of the Priest that Officiates, upon whose intention this whole Mystery depends, and consequently the Faith of those who believe that a Wafer is the true God, the Creator and Redeemer of the World? Can you possibly be ignorant that the Pope is Antichrist, and Rome, Babylon, and that the Spirit of both the one and the other, is the Spirit of Lies, of Cruelty and Impurity? That the God of the Church of Rome is the God of the Mass, and that that God is no better than an Idol, which she worships most religiously, together with an infinite number of Idols more? That the said Church acknowledges no other Authority besides her own; that she exalts her word above that of God, and that she exerciseth a tyrannical power over the Consciences of men? In a word, can you be ignorant that all what that Religion teaches different from ours (which are the very things they have particularly obliged you to embrace as necessary to Salvation) are so far from being contained in the Gospel, that they are most clearly and strongly condemned and forbid there? And can you imagine that there is any Salvation for you in the state you are in, viz. that of Hypocrisy, whilst you pretend to believe what you do not believe, and to worship from your heart, and freely, when you do not do it but against your will, as knowing it to be Idolatry, whilst you externally comply with all the Worship of the Church of Rome, serving with her (by the worship termed Doulia, which is the word in Gal. 4.8.) those things which by nature are not Gods? Have you so wholly forgot the Gospel, that you do not remember, that the portion of the fearful, and of those who l●ve or make a lie, of Idlaters and Apostates, is in the Lake of fire, Rev. 22.15. Matth. 10.38. Mark 8.38. Do not deceive yourself, by seeking out sig-leaves and pretences; in abjuring our Religion, you have abjured true Christianity, the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ, for our Religion is nothing else: You have grieved the holy Spirit, God grant you have not quite extinguished it; you have weakened the Kingdom of God up●n earth, and strengthened that of his Enemy; you have afflicted, scandalized, and made a rent in the Church of God; and you have fortified the Synagogue of Satan, and made it to rejoice. By becoming a Papist, you have condemned your Teachers and Preachers for Schismatics and Heretics, and have judged them worthy of all the fires of this world, and of that of Hell to boot: You are entered into Communion with those, who but an Age ago washed their hands in the blood of your Fathers, and who daily do the same in the blood of your Brothers: You have left the Communion of Christ, and are gone over to that of Antichrist; from the Church, to Babylon, from the Spirit of God, to the unclean Spirit; from the worship of God, to that of a Wafer, and many other Idols: You have rejected the Authority of Holy Scripture, for to subject yourself to that of Papacy; and from a Child of God, which you were, are become the Slave of men. Tremble at the thought of the sin you have committed, and by no means excuse it; you have to do with a God who cannot be deceived, neither will he be mocked, who is jealous of his Truth and of his Glory, and who will not endure his Truth to be detained in unrighteousness, nor his Glory to be given to graven Images. I am surprised with horror, when I consider the deplorable state to which you have reduced yourself; I see you destitute of your true Brethren, and faithful Pastors, and encompassed with false Brethren, and devouring Wolves, observed and beset by the World, which every where lays her snares for you, and enchants you with her delusions, betrayed by your own heart, tortured and wracked by your Conscience, (if a Lethargy hath not seized it) domineered over by your own vanity, your avarice, sensuality and infirmity, tyrannised over by Clergy, by the Soldiers, by Officers of Justice, and all your Superiors, loaden with all the Chains of Popery, and fast locked and taken in the snares of the Devil: I see you in the very way to the sin against the Holy Ghost, upon the brink of the Grave and Hell. And had it not been better to have suffered a thousand Deaths for the Cause of God, than cowardly to cast yourself headlong into this miserable condition by your Apostasy? And is it not better for you to expose yourself yet to all sorts of dangers and miseries, than to truckle any longer under this insupportable burden of Evils? We offer up Day and Night most ardent Prayers to God, that he will be pleased to snatch you thence; and be not you wanting to employ your utmost endeavours to get lose, and give yourself no rest, till you have given glory to God, edified his Church, and returned your Conscience to that happy state in which you wish that the Eternal Judge might find it, when you shall be obliged to appear before his Tribunal. Let this be your great and only Work.  
Jan. 1. 1686. I am SIR, Your most humble Servant, and most Sincere Friend.  
FINIS.