clared by the holy you have done all that is commanded, Council of Trent con- still you are unprofitable servants, cerning original sin and you have done no more than your justification.

duty. Yet, if you will be a true Ca

tholic, you must believe that the good works of justified persons do truly merit increase of grace here, and eternal life hereafter. Sess. 6. Can. 32.

If you say

XVII. I do also Though Christ, by being once ofprofess, that in the fered, hath put away sin by the sacrimass there is offered fice of himself, and therefore need not unto God a true, pro- to be offered again, Heb. ix. yet you per, and propitiatory must believe that he is daily offered, sacrifice for the quick and, it may be, in ten thousand places and the dead, and that at once, a true, proper, propitiatory in the most holy sacra- sacrifice for the quick and the dead. ment of the Eucharist And why should you not believe so, there is truly, really, seeing the Catholic (i. e. the Roman and substantially the Catholic) Church hath defined and body and blood, toge- declared it to be so? ther with the soul and that you find nothing for it, but divinity of our Lord much against it in holy Scripture, this Jesus Christ ; and that is to appeal from the judgment of the there is a conversion Church to your own, which by no made of the whole sub- means must be allowed. But how do stance of the bread into you know that there is anything in the body, and of the Scripture against it? You will tell whole substance of the me you see and read it there. But wine into the blood ; do you think it is fit for you to trust which conversion the your own eyes against so plain a deCatholic Church calls claration of the Church? Because transubstantiation. you see, and feel and taste, and

thereupon judge a consecrated host to be really bread still, do you think it is fit for you to believe so, when the Church hath told

you
the

contrary. Have a care, this is a dangerous point. If

you

will be a true Catholic, you must resolve to renounce all the evidence of sense and reason in this matter, and to live by an implicit faith.

XVIII. I confess, Though Christ left you a whole that under one kind sacrament, yet you must be content only, whole and entire with half an one ; though Christ, Christ, and a true sa- after his supper, instituted and ad

a

crament, is taken and ministered this venerable sacrament received.

under both kinds of bread and wine ;

though in the Primitive Church this sacrament was received by the faithful in both kinds; yet all this notwithstanding, you must now rest satisfied with half of it, and that for divers good causes and considerations ; as to instance, lest you spill the wine upon your beards, &c. And will you still stick to the institution of Christ against such a declaration of the Church? Have a care, there is an anathema provided for you, and the censure aud punishment of heretics will fall to your share. Concil. Constant. Sess. 13. Concil. Trid. Sess. 13. Can. 3.

XIX. I do firmly Though in holy Scripture there be believe that there is a no mention made of any other place purgatory, and that after this life, but either heaven or the souls kept prisoners hell; yet holy Church tells you there there do receive help is another called purgatory, and why by the suffrages of the should you not believe her? Though faithful.

Christ tell you, that when you have

done all that is commanded, you are still unprofitable servants, having done no more but what was your duty to do; yet why should not you believe as the Church believes, that some men may do more than their duties, and by an over-measure of merits help others ?

XX. I do likewise Though you be nowhere combelieve, that the saints manded to pray to any other but only reigning together with God, though there be but one MeChrist, are to be wor- diator between God and man, viz. shipped and prayed Christ Jesus; yet why should you unto, and that they do deprive youselves of the benefit of offer prayers unto God such powerful mediators as the saints for us, and that their in heaven may be, when the Church relics are to be had in teacheth you to make use of them ? veneration.

XXI. I do most Though, by the second commandfirmly assert, that the ment, you are forbidden to make to images of Christ, of yourselves any graven images, or to the blessed Virgin the bow down to them, or worship them; Mother of God, and yet this notwithstanding, why should of other saints, ought not you comply with the doctrine and to be had and retained, practice of the Church, in making to and that due honour yourselves graven images, bowing and veneration ought down to them, and in praying, lightto be given to them. ing candles, and burning incense

before them? XXII. I do affirm, Though your sins be great and that the power of in- heinous, yet if for a sum of money dulgences was left by you can procure a pardon ; if the Christ in the Church, price be set, and nothing wanting but and that the use of to pay the money with one hand, and them is very beneficial receive the indulgence with the other, to Christian people. (vid. Tax. Camer. Apostol.) why then

should you not comply with the doctrine of indulgences, which is so comfortable in itself, and so advantageous unto you?

XXIII. I do acknow- If you can believe that a part is ledge the Holy,Catholic the whole, why should you not beand Apostolic Roman lieve the Church of Rome to be the Church to be the mo- Catholic Church ? If you can believe ther and mistress of that the Church of Jerusalem, and all all Churches ; and I do other Churches in all parts of the promise and swear true world, received their religion from her, obedience to the Bishop why should you not believe that she of Rome, the successor is the mother of all other Churches ? of St. Peter the Prince If you can believe that any one of the Apostles, and Church in the world hath a sovereign Vicar of Jesus Christ. power and authority over all other

Churches; why should you not believe the Church of Rome hath, and consequently is mistress of all other Churches ? If you can believe, that among equals there is any superiority, why should you not believe that St. Peter was prince of the Apostles ? and consequently, that the Bishop of Rome, as his successor, is bishop of bishops, and prince of all pastors ? If you can believe that Jesus Christ did constitute and ordain any particular person upon earth to be his vicargeneral in his absence ; why should you not believe that the Bishop of Rome, for the time being, is the man? But if you can believe none of these things I cannot help it. XXIV. I do un- If you can believe that all and

every doubtedly receive and thing, which at any time hath been profess all other things delivered, defined, and declared, by which have been de- any General Council, especially by livered, defined, and that of Trent; doth exactly agree

;

declared, by the sacred with the canon of holy Scripture : or, canons and ecumenical if you can believe that all and everyCouncils, and especi- thing, which at any time hath been ally by the holy Synod condemned, rejected, and anatheof Trent; and all matized by such Councils is really hethings contrary there- resy, and justly condemned by them; unto, and ali here- then why may you not believe as the sies condemned, reject- Church of Rome doth, and receive ed, and anathematized this as an article of faith? But if by the Church, I do you cannot believe these things, who likewise condemn, re

can help it ? ject, and anathematize.

Thus have I given you a prospect of Popery without any misrepresentation or prevarication, from a very authentic record, viz. the Creed of Pope Pius IV. which is received, professed, and sworn to by every one who enters into holy orders in that Church; and in the close thereof we are told, that the faith contained therein is so absolutely and indispensably necessary, that no man can be saved without it.The Creed itself, you see, contains twenty-four Articles. The twelve first of which we firmly believe and readily embrace, being well assured that they contain nothing in them but primitive Christianity, and that they are well warranted by the word of God. The twelve latter we reject as innovations and additions to the catholic faith ; that faith which was once delivered to the saints, and which hath been delivered down to us in the holy Scriptures and the three ancient Creeds. In these you have the main body of Popery as it stands distinguished from primitive Christianity; the novelty and unwarrantableness whereof it were no hard matter to demonstrate ; but that hath been done already by better hands, and was no part of

my

design in these papers. I intended only to give you a full view of Popery from an unexceptionable record, and leave you to consider of it. And having thus done, I have only this request to make, that those into whose hands these papers shall come would sit down and seriously consider whether it be fit or safe for them to mingle such stuff with their common Christianity.

VOL. XIV.

R

A BRIEF EXAMINATION

OF

THE PRESENT ROMAN CATHOLIC FAITH;

CONTAINED IN

POPE PIUS'S NEW CREED,

BY

The Scriptures, ancient Fathers, and their own modern

Writers, in answer to a Letter, desiring satisfaction concerning the Visibility of the Protestant Church and Religion in all ages, especially before Luther's time.

POPE PIUS'S CREED, OR THE PROFESSION OF THE ROMAN

CATHOLIC FAITH.

“That the profession of one and the same faith* may be uniformly exhibited to all, and its certain form may be known to all; we have caused it to be published, strictly commanding that the profession of faith be made after this form, and no other. I, N. do, with firm faith, believe and profess all and

. singular things contained in the Creeds (to wit, Nicene, &c.) which the Roman Church useth ; namely, I believe in God the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible, &c. The apostolic and ecclesiastical traditions, and other observances and constitutions of that Church, I firmly admit and embrace.—I do also confess, that there be truly and properly seven sacraments of the new law, instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ, Extreme Unction, Orders, Marriage, &c., and that they confer grace. All things which, concerning original sin and justification, were defined in the fourth Council of Trent, I embrace and receive. Also, I confess, that in the mass is offered to God a true, proper and propitiatory sacrifice for the quick and dead; and that in the

* V. Bullam Pii IV. super forma professionis fidei sub finem Concilii Tridentini.