the people of that liberty which God hath given them. This is to despoil them of the great prerogative of their nature, and degrade them into a lower rank of being, which is the greatest tyranny imaginable. There is nothing so much concerns mankind, as religion and the interest of their immortal souls. We are here put upon trying or proving all things. "Believe not every spirit (says St. John),* but try the spirits whether they are of God." Christ bids the Jews "search the Scriptures." Surely then the Scriptures are not to be kept from the people: and they must be allowed their rule, when they are obliged to prove ove all things. If they are obliged to give a reason of their hope, they must be allowed to examine its grounds.

2. This serves for the reproof of those among ourselves, who do not use that liberty of examining which is allowed them; who neither know nor will understand: that are crafty and diligent in worldly affairs, but supinely negligent in their truest and greatest interest. Too many are wedded to their faction and fond opinions, and both practise and prescribe that which they condemn in the Church of Rome. Did they ingenuously examine things, and sincerely seek the truth, they might easily avoid the errors and schisms they are now justly charged with.

3. Let us then examine the grounds of our faith, especially in the points controverted among us at this time, then will your communion with the Church of England not be the result of chance, but of judgment and of choice. I know no mark of a true Church wanting here, and am sure that many things greatly commend to us her communion.

First, This Church does not void the necessity of an holy life. It cancels none of our obligations to God or man; but teacheth the absolute necessity of contrition and repentance, and mortification of our lusts; and does by no means indulge a liberty of living as we list.

Secondly, She fairly proposeth her doctrines, and does not refuse to have them examined, nor deprive her children of the means of doing it by the clearest light.

Thirdly, Nor are her doctrines fitted to advance a secular interest or glory. Religion is an holy institution; heavenly in its principle, and pure in its aim, and disdains to stoop to mean arts for wealth and worldly dignities.

Fourthly, This Church teacheth nothing that is manifestly false, nor puts us upon any practice which is a direct violation of any Divine institution.

Fifthly, Nor does this Church want the excellent badge of charity, which is indeed the bond of perfectness. Religion was designed as the greatest blessing to mankind, and the Author of the Christian was a great lover of the human race. Its precepts are full of kindness and benignity, and commend the highest pitch of civility and compassion, and the highest flights of friendship.

Sixthly, As obedience to kings and governors is a great part of the Christian religion, and an ornament to it, and was in an eminent degree practised by the first and best Christians, so it is the doctrine of our Church, and hath always been the practice of the members of it.

In a word, we pray for our enemies, and teach men to give both God and Cæsar their due. We think it safe to worship no image, and are sure we are right when we pray to God through the mediation of Jesus Christ. We know that God hears, but cannot say so of saints and angels. We receive the sacrament in both kinds as given by Christ, and received by the ancient Church: and do believe the sacramental bread, after consecration, to be what the Apostle calls it more than once. For the doctrine of concomitance, we leave it to them who understand it. We pray in a tongue we understand. We follow the holy Scriptures, believe the ancient Creeds, nor do we reject the first General Councils. We press men to piety, loyalty, humility and charity, and earnestly desire the salvation of mankind. We press men to all manner of good works, but place our hope in the mercy of God and merits of his Son. If we live up to our rule, we are safe; if not, it is not the fault of our religion, it is our own. If we live up to our religion, we shall never be miserable in this world, and in the next shall be unspeakably happy. Which God of his mercy grant, for the sake of Jesus Christ, to whom with the Father and Holy Ghost be all honour and glory now and for ever. Amen.

BOOK III.

THE PROTESTANT RULE OF FAITH, EXPLAINED AND VINDICATED, AS RESTING UPON THE AUTHORITY OF SCRIPTURE.

THE

PEOPLE'S RIGHT TO READ THE HOLY SCRIPTURE

ASSERTED.

In Answer to the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th chapters of the Second Part of the Popish Representer.

THOUGH it is evident, as that the Scripture is in print, that the free use of it is by the Roman clergy denied to the vulgar, yet when they are charged with it by Protestants, they either take the confidence plainly to deny it, or if they own the charge (as the Representer doth), they endeavour to put such glosses upon it, as to make their denial of the Scripture to be in effect but a better way of granting it: for since it is not the words of the Bible, but the sense and meaning of the words that is properly the Word of God, while they withheld from them the letter they provide means to acquaint them with the spirit, or the true sense of Scripture, and so deliver it to them with much more advantage than people of any other persuasion have it.

What others have formerly written for their vindication in this matter, it is needless now to examine; since it is not to be supposed, but that the Representer hath said as much to the purpose as any of those who have gone before him. I shall therefore confine the ensuing Discourse to what he hath said in his 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th chapters. And that it may be the more clear and satisfactory, I shall shew these four things.

I. What is the practice of the Church of Rome in this

matter.

II. That this practice is plainly contrary to the will of God, to the reason of the thing, and to the practice of the Christian Church for more than a thousand years after Christ. III. The insufficiency of those reasons, by which the Representer endeavours to justify it.

IV. Vindicate those inferences the Protestants draw from it.

All that is said by the Representer may, I think, be reduced to one or other of these heads.

CHAP. I.

Though some may think it needless to insist upon the first of these, since what the Protestants charge the Church of Rome with in this matter is freely enough owned by the Representer himself;* yet because some of that communion here in England (who, for prudential reasons, are not so straitly tied up) do confidently deny it, it may not be amiss, for their information, to give some short account of it, from better authority than that of the Representer.

For which, we need go no further than the fourth rule of the Trent Expurgatory Index, which is this: "Since it is manifest by experience, that if the holy Bible be promiscuously permitted in the vulgar tongue, by reason of the rashness of men more loss than profit will thence arise: in this matter, let the judgment of the bishop or inquisitor be stood to, that with the advice of the parish priest, or confessor, they may grant the reading of the Bible in the vulgar tongue, translated by Catholic authors, to such as they shall understand can receive no hurt by such reading, but increase of faith and piety. Which faculty let them have in writing. But he, that without such faculty, shall presume to read, or to have the Bible, he may not receive absolution of his sins, except he first deliver up his Bible to the ordinary."

If any man shall say, that this rule hath not the force of a law, Monsieur de Maire, Counsellor, Almoner and Preacher to the King of France, in a book published by authority, shall give him an answer: "This rule," saith he, "is founded in ecclesiastical right, and no man can transgress it, without contradicting that obedience which he owes to the Church, and the holy See, from which it hath received its confirmation; forasmuch as this rule was not made but in prosecution of the decree of the Council of Trent, &c. no man can deny but that it hath been approved by the holy See, and authorized by the Bulls of Pius IV. and Clement VIII., who, after they had viewed and diligently examined it, published it to the world, with order that it should be obeyed."*

"If," says he, "there be any thing that can hinder this rule from having the force of a law, it must be either because it hath not been published, or being published hath not been received; but neither the one nor the other can be said, since it is evident, that this is the old quarrel we have with our heretics; that this is that which our Church hath always been upbraided with by the enemies of the faith; this is that which is the subject of their most outrageous calumnies; this is that which hath been acknowledged by all wise men; that which hath been earnestly maintained by all the defenders of catholic truths;† that which no person is ignorant of; that which the whole world publishes; there being no point of belief more common, nor more general among the faithful, than this of the prohibition to read the Bible without permission. And this belief so common, is (says he) a certain proof, not only of the publication, but of the reception of this rule."

It cannot be denied, but that it hath been received by all those nations by which the decrees of Trent were universally received: and so they were, as Pallavicino tells us‡ in Italy, Spain, Sicily, Portugal, Poland, the greater part of Germany, and many other countries.

But suppose this rule were not received as imposed by the Council of Trent, yet in all Popish countries they have made it a law to themselves. It is not indeed observed in France, upon the authority of the Council; but they have set it up, and established it as a law by their own authority, as is manifest by the mandates of their archbishops and bishops, the decrees of their provincial Councils, and the edicts and arrests

* Enfin je maintiens que cette Regle est fondeé en droict Ecclesiastique, et qu'on ne la peut violer sans choquer l'obeïssance que l'on doit à l' Eglise, etc. Le Sanctuaire fermé aux Profanes, part 3. c. 1. p. 335,

336.

+

Ce que personne n' ignore; ce que tout le monde publie, n'y aiant point de creance plus commune ny plus generale parmy les fideles, etc. Ibid. Pallav. 1. 24. c. 9, 11, 12, 13. [839. 856.861. 869. Rom. 1664.]