ENTITLED FIAT LUX. 163
of in this section, I must acknowledge he hath had much wrong done him in the world. He is one, it seems, that we " are beholding unto for all we have that is worth any thing," particularly for the " gospel, which was originally from him ; for kingly authority, and his crown- land, with all the honour and power in the kingdom ; — one, that we had not had any thing left us at this day either of truth or unity, humanly speaking, had not he been set over us ; — one in whom Christ hath no less shown his divinity and power than in himself; in whom he is more miraculous than he was in his own person ; — one that, by the only authority of his place and person, defended Christ's being God against all the world ; without which, humanly speaking, Christ had not been taken for any such person as he is believed this day :" so as not only we, but Christ himself is beholding to him, that any body believes him to be God ! Now, truly, if things stand thus with him, I think it is high time for us to leave our Protestancy, and to betake ourselves to the Irishman's creed, " That if Christ had not been Christ when he was Christ, St Patrick" (the pope) "would have been Christ." Nay, as he is, having the hard fate to come into the world so many ages after the ascension of Christ into heaven, I know not what is left for Christ to be or do. The Scripture tells us that the gospel is Christ's, originally from him ; — now we are told it is the pope's, originally from him : that informs us that by him (the Wis- dom of God) "kings reign, and princes execute judgment;" — now we are taught, " that kingly authority, with his crown-land, is from the pope:" that instructs us to expect the preservation of faith and truth in the world from Christ alone ; the establishment of his throne and kingdom for ever and ever; his building, guidance, and protec- tion of his church ; — but we are now taught that for all these things we are beholding to the pope, who, by his only authority, keeps up the faith of the deity of Christ; who surely is much engaged to him, that he takes it not to himself Besides what he is, for our better information, that we may judge aright concerning him, we may con- sider also what he doth, and hath been doing, it seems, a long time: — " He is one that hath never been known to let fall the least word of passion against any, nor move any engine for revenge ; — one whose whole life and study is to defend innocence," etc. ; that by his " general councils, all held under and by him, especially that of Nice, hath done more good than can be expressed ; careful, and more than humanly happy, in all ages, in reconciling Christian princes," etc.; — "one who, let men talk what they will, if he be not an unerring guide in matters of religion and faith, all is lost." But hov/ shall we come to know and be assured of all this? Other men, as our author knows and complains, speak other things of him. Is it meet, that in so doubtful and questionable a business, and of so great im-
164 ANIMADVERSIONS ON A TREATISE
portance to be knowTi, we should believe a stranger upon his word, and that against the vehement affirmations at least of so many to the contrary? The Scripture speaks never a word that we can find of him, nor once mentions him at all. The ancient stories of the church are utterly silent of him, as for any such person as he is here described, speaking of the bishop of Rome as of other bishops in those days. Many of the stories of after ages give us quite another character of him, both as to his personal qualifications and employ- ment,— I mean, of the gTeatest part of the series of men going under that name. Instead of peace-making and reconciliation, they tell us of fierce and cruel wars, stirred up and managed by them, — of the ruin of kings and kingdoms by their means; and instead of the meekness pretended, their breathing out threatenings against men that adore thein not, persecuting them with fire and sword, to the utter depopulation of some countries, and the defiling of the most of Europe with bloody cruelties. What course shall we take in the contest of assertions, that we may be able to make a right judgment concerning him? I know no better than this, — a little to examine apart the particulars of his excellency as they are given us by our author, especially the most eminent of them, and weigh whether they are given in according to truth or no.
The first that we mentioned was, that " the gospel was originally from him, and to him we are beholding for it." This we cannot readily receive; it is certainly untrue, and fearfully blasphemous to boot. The gospel was originally from Christ; and to him alone are we be- holding for it, as hath been before declared. Another is, that " kingly authority amongst us, and his crown-land, is from him." This is false and seditious. Kingly authority, in general, is from God, and by his providence was it established in this land, before the pope had any thing to do here : nor doth it lean in the least on his warranty, but hath been supported without the Papacy, and against all its opposi- tions; which have not been a few. A third is, that, " humanly speak- ing, had not he been set over us, we had not had this day either truth or unity." I know not well what you mean by " humanly speak- ing;" but, I am surOj so to blaspheme the care and love of Christ to his church, and the sufficiency of his word and promised Spirit to preserve truth in the world without the pope, whose aid in this work he never once thought of, requested, appointed, is, if not inhuman and Ijarbarous, yet bold and presumptuous. That " Christ hath no less showed his divinity in him than in his own person," is an expres- sion of the same nature, or of a more dreadful, if possible it may be. I speak seriously; I do not think this is the way to make men in love with the pope. No sooner is such a word spoken but immediately the wicked bestial lives, the ignorance, atheisms, and horrid ends of