Of Confiance in the Profeffion ofthe True Religion. 'Vol. 1. I. That it makes the Work fhort, and faves them a great deal of Labour, by bringing the whole Bufrnefs to one fingle Enquiry and when they have gained , this Point, that this Tingle Queftion is all that they need to be fatisfied in ; then they have nothing to do, but to ply and puzzle the Man with' their Motives of Credibility, and Marks of the True Church ; and to Phew, as well as they can, how thefe Marks agree to Their Church, and are all to be found in it, and in no other ; and to fet out to the beft advantage the Glorious Priviledges of Their Church, the Miraculous things that havebeen, and are í1i11 daily done in it, and the innumerable multitude of their Saints and Martyrs ; and if thefe General Things take and fink into them, their Work is in effe& done. 2. Another great Advantage they have by it, is, That by bringing them to this Method, they divert and keep them off from the many Obje&ions againft their Churchand Religion, namely, the Errors and Corruptions which we charge them withal. For this is the thing theyare afraid of and will byno means be brought to ; to vindicate and make good their Innovations in Faith and Pra&ice, fo plain- ly in many things contrary to Scripture, and to the Faith and Pra&ice of the Primitive Church ; as the Do&rines ofTranfubflantiation, ofPurgatory, the Popes Supremacy, of the Infallibility of'their Church, of their Seven Sacraments Inftitu- ted by Chrift, andof the Intention of the Priefl being neceffary to the Validity and Virtue of the Sacraments : and then feveral of their Pra&ices ; as of the Wer- fhip of Images, of the Invocation of Angels and Saints, ofthe Service ofGod and the Scriptures in an Unknown Tongue, and the Communion in one Kind; and fe- veral other things, fo plainly contrary to the Scriptures, and the Pra&ice and U- fage of the Primitive Church; that almoft the meaneft Capacity may eafily be made fenfible and convinced of it. Thefe are foreplaces, which theydelire not to have touched, and therefore they ufe all poffible Artifice to keep Men at a diftance from them ; partly becaufe the particular difcuflìon of them is tedious, and it re- quires more than ordinary Skill, to fay any thing that is tenable for them, and fo to Paint and Varnifh them over , as to hide the Corruptions and Deformities of them; but chiefly becaufe they are conféious to themfelves, that as in all thefe Points they are upon the Defenfive, fo theyy are alfo upon very great Dif- advantages; and therefore to avoid, if it be poffible, being troubled with them, they have devifed this fhorter, and eafier, and more convenient way of making Profelytes. Not that they are always able to keep themfelves thus within their Trenches ; but are foinetimes, whether they will or no, "drawn out to encounter foine of thefe Obje&ions : But they rid themfelves of them as foon, and as dexteroufly as they can, by telling thofe that make them, that they will hereafter give them full Sa- tisfa&ion to all thefe Matters, when they are,gotten over the firft and main En- quiry, Which is the True Church ? For if they can keep them to -this" Point, and gain them to,it, they can deal with them more eafily in the reft : For when they can once fwallow this Principle, That the Church ofRome is the One True Catholick Church, and confequently, as theyhave told diem all along, infallible; this Infallibility of the Church once entertained, will cover a multitude of par- ticular Errors and Miftakes ; and it will very much help tocure the Weaknefs and Defe$s offome particular Do&rines and Practices, and at leaft to filence and over- rule all Obje&ions againft them. So that the Benefit and Advantage of this Me- thod is vifibly and at firft fight very great ; and therefore no wonder they are fo Ready and conftant to it, and do fo obftinately infift upon 'it. But how convenient foever it be to them, it is, I am fure, very unreafonable in it felf ; and that upon thefe Accounts. r. Becaufe the True Church doth not conftitute and make the True Chriftian Faith and Dó&rine ; but it is the True Chriftian Faith and Do&rine, the Profef- fron whereof makes the True Church ; and therefore in Reafon and Order of Na- ture, 'the firft Enquiry muff be, What is the True Faith and Do&rine ofChrift ; which by him was delivered to the Apoftles, and by them publifhed and made known to the World, and by their. Writings tranfinitted and conveyed down to us? And this being found, every Society of Chriftians which holds this Do&rine, is a True
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=