o3-i A VINDICATION OF THE ANIMADVERSIONS ON FIAT LUX.
you already in answer to this case, about Rome's being left without inhabitants by Totilas. Besides, if we that are now inhabitants of England must be thought to have first received the gospel then when it was first preached unto our own progenitors, in a direct line ascend- ing, this will be foimd a matter so dubious and uncertain as not possibly to be a thing of any concernment in Christian religion ; and, moreover, will exempt most of the chief families of England from your enclosure, seeing one way or other they derive themselves from the ancient Britons. Such pitiful trifles are you forced to make use of to give countenance unto your cause ! But let it be gi'anted that Christianity was first comnumicated unto the Saxons from Rome in the days of Pope Gregory, — which yet, indeed, is not true neither ; for queen Bertha, with her bishop Luidhardus, had both practised the worship of Christ in England before his coming, and so prepared the people, that Gregory says in one of his epistles, " Anglorum gentem voliiisse fieri Christianam," — what will thence ensue? "Why, plainly, that we must all be Papists, or atheists, and esteem the whole gospel a romance." But why so, I pray? " Why, the categoric assertions are both clear, — namely, that the Papists first brought us the news of Christianity, and that Papists are now odious." But how com.es this about? We were talking of Gregory, and some that came from Rome in his days ; and if you take them for Papists you are much de- ceived. Prove that there was one Papist at Rome in the days of that Gregory, and I will be another, — I mean such a Papist as your present pope is, or as yourself are. Do you think that Gregory be- lieved the Catholic supremacy and infallibility of the pope ? the do- ing whereof in an especial manner constitutes a man a Papist. If you have any such thoughts, you are an utter stranger to the state of things in those days, as also to the writings of Gregory himself: for your better information you may do well to consult him, lib. iv. epist. 32, S6, 38; and sundry other instances may be given out of his own writings, how remote he was from your present Popery. Irregularities and superstitious observations were, not a few in his days, crept into the church of Rome, which you still pertinaciously adhere unto ; — as you have the happiness to adhere firmly unto any thing that you once irregularly embrace ; but that the main doc- trines, principles, practices, and modes of worship which constitute Popery, were known, admitted, practised, or received at Rome in the days of Gregory, I know full well that you are not able to prove. And by this you may see the truth of your first assertion, " That Papists brought us the first news of Christianity;" which you do not in the least endeavour to prove, but take it, hand over head, to be the same with this, " That some from Rome preached the gospel to the Saxons in the days of Gregory," which it hath no manner of
WHENCE THE GOSPEL CAME TO ENGLAND. 335
affinity withal. Your second true assertion is, " That the Papist is now become odious unto us;" but yet neither will this be granted you. Fopery we dislike; but that the Papists are become odious unto us we absolutely deny. Though we like not the Popery they have admitted, yet we love them for the Christianity which they have retained. And must not that needs be a doughty consequence that is educed out of principles wherein there is not a word of truth? Besides, I have already in part manifested unto you, that supposing both of them to be true, as neither of them is, yet your consequence is altogether inconsequent, and will by no means follow upon them. .And this will yet more fully appear in an examination of your en- suing discourse.
That which you fix upon to except against is towards the close of my discourse to this purpose, in these words, as set down by you, p. 40 : " Many things delivered us at first with the first news of Christianity, may be afterward rejected for the love of Christ, and by the commission of Christ." The truth of this assertion I have newly proved again unto you, and have exemplified it in the instance of Papists bringing the first news of Christianity to any place ; which is not impossible but they may do, though to this nation they did not. I had also before confirmed it with such reasons as you judged it best to take no notice of; which is your way with things that are too hard for you to grapple withal. I must, I see, drive these things through the thick obstacles of your prejudices with more instances, or you will not be sensible of them. What think you, then, of those who received the first news of Christianity by believers of the Circumcision, who at the same time taught them the necessity of being circumcised, and of keeping Moses's law ? Were they not bound afterward, upon the discovery of the mistake of their teachers, to retain the gospel, and the truth thereof taught by them, and to reject the observation of Mosaical rites and observations ? or were they free, upon the dis- covery of their mistake, to esteem the whole gospel a romance ? What think you of those that were converted by Arians ? which were great multitudes, and some whole nations. Were not those nations bound for the love of Christ, by his word, to retain theu* Christianity, and reject their Arianism? or must they needs account the whole gospel a fable, when they were convinced of the error of their first teachers, denying Christ Jesus in his divine nature to be of the same substance with his Father, or essentially God ? To give you an instance that, it may be, will please you better: There are very many Indians in New England, or elsewhere, converted unto Christianity by Protestants; without whose instruction they had never received the least rumour or report of it. Tell me your judgment : if you were now amongst them, would you not endeavour to persuade them that