7. The gi'eat " safety and security that there is in committing our- selves, as to all the concernments of religion, unto the guidance, rule, and conduct of the pope," is another great princij)Ie of this discourse. And here our author falls into a deej) admiration of the pope's " dex- terity in keeping all his subjects in peace and unity and subjection to him, there being no danger to any one for forsaking him but only that of excommunication." The contest is between the Scripture and the pope. Protestants say, the safest way for men, in reference to their eternal condition, is to believe the Scripture and rest therein ; the Romanists say the same of the pope. Which will prove the best course, methinks, should not be hard to determine. All Christians in the world ever did agree that the Scripture is the certain, infallible word of God, given by him on purpose to reveal his mind and will unto us. About the pope there were great contests ever since he was first taken notice of in the world. Nothing, I confess, little or low is spoken of him. Some say he is the head and spouse of the church, the vicar of Christ, the successor of Peter, the supreme moderator of Christians, the infallible judge of controversies, and the like; others, again, that he is antichrist, the man of sin, a cruel tyrant and jierse- cutor, the evil servant characterized. Matt. xxiv. 48-51. But all, as far as I can gather, agree that he is a man : I mean, that almost all popes have been so; for about every individual there is not the like consent. Now, the question is, whether we shall rest in the autho- rity and word of God, or in the authority and word of a man, as the pope is confessed to be? and whether is like to yield us more security in our affiance? This being such another difficult matter and case as that before mentioned, about the Bible being the pope's book, shall not be by me decided, but left to the judgment of wiser men. In
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the meantime, fcr liis feat of government, it is partly known what it is; as also what an influence into the eftects of peace mentioned that gentle means of excommunication hath had. I know one that used, in the late times, to say of the excommunication in Scotland, "he would not care for their de\al, were it not for his horn;" and I suppose had not papal excommunication been always attended with wars, blood, seditions, conspiracies, depositions and murders of kings, fire and fagot, according to the extent of their power, it would have been less effectual than our author pretends it to have been. Sir, do but give Chiistians the liberty that Christ hath purchased for them, — lay down your carnal weapons, your whips, racks, prisons, halters, swords, fagots, with your uncliristian subtleties, slanders, and fleshly machinations, — and we and you shall quickly see what will become of your papal peace and power.
These are the goodly principles, the honest suppositions, of the dis- course which our author ends his third book withal. It could not but have been a tedious thing to take them up by pieces, as they lay scattered up and down, like the limbs of Medeia's brother, cast in the way to retard her pursuers. The reader may now take a view of them together, and thence of all that is offered to persuade him to a relinquishment of his present profession and rehgion. For the stories, comparisons, jests, sarcasms, that are intermixed with them, I supjjose he will know how to turn them to another use.
Some very few particulars need only to be remarked ; as, —
1. " No man can say what ill Poper}' did in the world until Henry the Eighth's days." Strange ! when it is not only openly accused, but proved guilty of almost all the evil that was in the Christian world in those days; particularly of corrupting the doctrine and wor- ship of the gospel, and debauching the lives of Christians.
2. " With the Roman Catholics unity ever dwelt." Never ! the very name of Roman Catholic, appropriating Catholicism to Roman- ism, is destructive of all gospel unity.
3. " Some Protestants say they love the persons of the Romanists, but hate theii" religion; the reason is plain, — they know the one and not the other." No, they know them both; and the pretence that people are kept with, as from [not] knowing what the religion of the Romanists is, is vain, untrue; and as to what colour can possibly be given unto it, such, an infant in comparison of that vast giant which of the same kind lives in the Romish territories, that it deserves not to be mentioned.
4. " Protestants are beholden to the Catholics" (that is, Romanists) "for their universities, benefices, books, pulpits, gospel." For some of them, not all ; for the rest, as the Israelites were to the Egyptians for the tabernacle they built in the wilderness.
94 ANIMADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE
5. " The pope was ancientl}'- believed sole judge and general pastor over all." Prove it; ask the ancient fathers and councils whether they ever heard of any such thing? They will universally return their answer in the negative.