Noah's Dove. A the guelt) to take our thisfpider, to cut out thisworme; rhe wine, the apple likes me well enough; the fpider,rhe worm, I cannot away with; Away with fuch overnice and rurious companions (quoth he againe) Fy upon rhee, thou ungrateful! fellow that do(! fo linle regard my friendfbip, fo concemn my cheere; and wich rhar in a ~age, rhrows rheplarrersand pots in the very f.!ceofhisgueft, and rhruf!s him olll ofdoores all wounded. Tell me now,! befeech you; worrhy Auditors, whether ofrhefe violates thelawesofhofpirality? I darefay,you have eaG!y applied it befOre me . There was a rime when we fate rogerher in a familiar manner With there Roma?.ms, and fared well; Thefpider inrbe cup, Theworm in the apple, whar elfe bethey, bur fuperf!irion in their wor!hip,rorrenand unwholfome rradirionsin their faith? without tbefe, the Religion pleaferh us well : Bur rhey will needs imporrunarelythruf! rhefe upon us, and we refufing, are therefore fcorned,(pir upon,beaten, B and caf! our;Had rhey bur given us leave to takeour this fpider, rhis worme,wehad f!illeaten, and drank togethermofr gladly: Theyobf!marely refif!ed, and prefer'd their own headf!rong will ro our good and fafery; nay, they repel! oswirh reproches, f!rike us wirh their thundering Amrhemaes, condemnus to the frakes; what fhould we doein this cafe? Heare, oh heavens, and hearken oh eorrh, and thou Almighty God, theMaker and Governor ofthem both, futfer thy felfe, and rhyglorious fpirirs robe called to rhe ref!imony of our innoeency; We are compelled, we ~re driven away from rheCommunionofrheChurch of Rome; They forced os ro goe from rhem, who departed fir(! from rhemfelvc:s. Wehave willinglydeparted from rheCommunionofrheir errors,fromrheCommunion ofthe Church weh•ve nor departed; Let rhem renounce their erroneogs C dolhine, we imbrace their Church; Let thembut call away their !oul-OayingTraditions, we willcommunicate with them in theright ofone and rhe fame Church, and remaine fo fur ever. But,alas,I muft beforced to complain,and rhor norwithout eirreme gr~f ofhearr how rhat it cannotbedetermined, whether rhofe that boa(! themfelves fur Catholikes,begreater enemies toTruth,or to Charity.To Trmh,in th>t they have oflate forged new errors, and forced themupon the Church; to Charity in that they have not fruck tocondemne theadverfe parr , and to brand them with the blackmarke pfHerdie. I will fpeake (ifyoupleafe) more plainly; Three manner ofwaies doe rhefe Romanifrsoffend againltChariry. Firf!; that rhey will nor remit any thing D either oftheir mof! conviC!:ed opinion or vicious praClice : no nor for Peace fake. Secondly, that for ArriclesofChrif!ian faith, they pur upon rhe Church cerraine opinionsoftheir owne, talfe , doubrfull, and uncerraine, peculiar onely to the Schooles, whichdoe no whirtouchthefoundarion ofReligion. And bf!ly,rhar if they meet wiJ!lany f.tirhfull and found monitors, which doe nev<.r !o little gainfay thefe new Articles , they cruelly caf! them our ofthebofome ofrheChurch, and throw rhemheadlong inro Hell: Awaywirh rhefe fchifnmiks, Herericks, Arheif!s· I wis rhe Proreftanrs havenoChurch,nofairh, no falvarion. iGood Lord what fury: what frenzy dif!empers Chrif!ians; than hey !hould be fo impotently m~liciousagainfr thofe , who profe!fe rhemfelves to be redeemed by rhe ran!Om<: ofrhefame mofr precious bloud ? Ar length, At length, 0 ye Chrif!ians, be wife, ~nd acknowE ledge thofe, whom the God and Fatherofmercies holdsworrhy ofhis armes, yeaof his bowels. Let franrick error bawleWhat it lif!, wearc Cbrif!hns, we areCarbolicks , meundivided members of one holy Carholick and Apof!olikChurch; Let usmeetatrhisbarre, ifyoupleate; Let whowill maintaine rheplea; What is it which makerh aChurch? What is it which maketh that Church One, holy, Carhohck, Apofrolick? Is it nor one holyCatholickApof!olick faith? Burwhich is that? Is it nor the fame whichwas delivered by Chrift , and the Apof!les, ro the whole ~orld,and was alwaies and everywhere approved through all ages, even unto our t~l~?Wherefore are theScriptures,wherefore rheCreeds,wherefore were the primltlve CounCelsbut rhar there might becerrainemarks, whereby Catholicks might be undoubtedly difcerned fromHerericks? You know the Epilogueofrhe Arhaoafian Creed,thisis the CatbolickFairh.Ifwe may beleiveLto,rheheads ofall herefies are 517
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