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scene than England to try out our contests by this rule. I hope, wlien he writes next, he will have better considered this matter, and not flatter himself that the crimes of any Protestants do enable him to conclude, as he doth, that the only way for jDcace is the extermina- tion of Protestancy. And so his tale about religion is ended. He next brings himself on the stage.
CHAPTER XIII.
Popish contradictions.
Tins is our last task. Our author s own story of himself, and rare observations in the Roman religion, make up the close of his dis- course, and merit, in his thoughts, the title of discovery. The design of the whole is to manifest his Catholic religion to be absolutely un- blamable, by wiping off some spots and blemishes that are cast u2:)on it ; indeed by gilding over, with fair and plausible words, some parts of their profession and worship which he knew to be most liable to the exceptions of them with Avhom he intends to deal. His way of managing this design, that he may seem to do something neAV, is by telling a fair tale of himself and his observations, with the effects they had upon him; which is but the putting of a new tune to an old song, that hath been chanted at our doors these hundred years: and some, he hopes, are so simple as to like the new tune, though they were sick of the old song. His entrance is a blessing of the world with some knowledge of himself, his i)arentage, birth, and education, and proficiency in his studies; as not doubting but that great inquiry must needs be made after the meanest concernments of such a hero as, by his achievements and travels, he hath manifested himself to be. And, indeed, he hath so handsomely and delightfully given us the romance of himself and Popery, that it was pity he should so unhappily stumble at the threshold as he hath done, and fall upon a misadventure that to some men will render the design of his discourse suspected; for whereas he doth elsewhere most confi- dently aver that no trouble ever was raised amongst us by the Ro- manists, here, at unawares, he informs us that his own grandfather lost both his life and his estate, in a rebellion raised in the north, on the account of that religion I — just as before, attempting to prove that we received Christianity originally from Rome, he tells us that the first planters of it came directly from Palestina ! It is in vain for him to persuade us that what hath been can never be again, unless
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lie manifest the principles wliicli formerly gave it life and being to l)S vanished out of the world; which, as to those of the Komauists, tending to the disturbance of these kingdoms, I fear he is not able to do.
There is not any thing else which Protestants are universally bound to observe in the course of his life before he went beyond the seas, but only the offence he took at men's preaching at London against Popery; not that he was then troubled, if we may believe him, that Popery was ill reported of, but the miscarriage of the preachers in bringing in the papal church hand over head in their sermons, speak- ing all evil and no good of it, and charging it with contradictions, was that which gave him distaste. He knows himself best what it was that troubled him, nor shall I set np conjectures against his assertions. The triple evil mentioned, so far as it is evil, I hope he finds now remedied. For my part, I never lilced of men's importune diversions from their texts to deal with or confute Papists; which is the first part of the evil complained of I know a far more effectual way to preserve men from Popery, — namely, a solid instruction of them in the principles of truth, with an endeavour to plant in their hearts the power of those principles, that they may have experience of their worth and usefulness. That nothing but evil was spoken of Popery by Protestants, when they spake of it, I cannot wonder: they account nothing evil in the religion of the Romanists but Popery; which is the name of the evil of that religion. No Pro- testants ever denied but that the Romanists retained many good things in the religion which they profess ; Init those good things, they say, are no part of Popery: so that our author should not by riglit have been so offended that men spake no good of that which is the expression of the evil of that whicli in itself is good, as Popery is of the Papist's Christianit}^ The last parcel of that which was the matter of his trouble and offence, he displays by sundry of the con- tradictions which Protestants charged Popery withal. To little pur- pose; for either the things he mentions are not by any charged on Popery, or not in that manner he expresseth, or the contradiction between them consists not in the assertions themselves, but in some additional terms supplied by himself, to make them appear contra- dictions. For instance (to take those given by himself), if one say " The Papists worship stocks and stones," another say, "They worship a piece of bread," here is no contradiction. Again, if one charge them with having their consciences afft-ighted with purgatory, and dooms- day, and penances for their sins, that they never live a quiet life ; another, that they carry their top and top-gallant so high, that they will go to heaven without Christ, or (as we in the country phrase it), trust not to his merits and righteousness alone for salvation, here