7. Thirdly, the doctrine of _persecution_. This has been for many ages a favourite doctrine of the church of _Rome_. And the Papists in general still maintain, that “all heretics, (that is, all who differ from them) ought to be _compelled_ to receive what they call the _true faith_; to be _forced_ into the church, or out of the world.”
Now this strikes at the root of, and utterly tears up, the second great commandment. It directly tends to bring in blind, bitter zeal; anger, hatred, malice, variance; every temper, word and work that is just contrary to the loving our neighbour as ourselves.
So plain it is, that these grand _Popish_ doctrines of _merit_, _idolatry_ and _persecution_, by destroying both faith and the love of God and of our neighbour, tend to banish true Christianity out of the world.
8. Well might our forefathers _protest_ against these: and hence it was that they were called _Protestants_: even because they publicly _protested_, as against all the errors of the _Papists_, so against these three in particular: the making void Christian faith, by holding that man may _merit_ heaven by his own works; the overthrowing the love of God by _idolatry_, and the love of our neighbour by _persecution_.
Are _you_ then a _Protestant_, truly so called? Do you _protest_, as against all the rest, so in particular, against these three grand, fundamental errors of _Popery_? Do you publicly _protest_ against all _merit_ in man? All _salvation_ by your own _works_? Against all _idolatry_ of every sort? And against every kind and degree of _persecution_?
I question not but you do. You _publicly protest_ against all these horrible errors of _Popery_. But does your heart agree with your lips? Do you not _inwardly_ cherish what you _outwardly_ renounce? ’Tis well, if _you_, who cry out so much against _Papists_, are not one _yourself_. ’Tis well if you are not _yourself_ (as little as you may think of it) a rank _Papist_ in your heart.
9. For, first, How do you hope to be saved? “By doing thus and thus? By doing no harm, and paying every man his own, and saying your prayers, and going to church and sacrament?” Alas! alas! Now you have thrown off the mask. This is _Popery_ barefaced. You may just as well speak plain, and say, “I trust to be saved by the _merit_ of my own works.” But where is CHRIST all this time? Why, he is not to come in, till you get to the end of your _prayer_. And then you will say, for JESUS CHRIST’s sake――because so it stands in your book. O my friend, your very foundation is Popish. _You_ seek salvation by your own _works_. You trample upon the _blood of the covenant_. And what can a poor _Papist_ do more?
10. But let us go on. Are you clear of idolatry any more than the _Papists_ are? It may be indeed, yours is in a different way. But how little does that signify? They set up their idols in their _churches_: you set up yours in your _heart_. Their idols are only _covered with gold_ or _silver_: but yours is _solid gold_. They worship the picture of the queen of _heaven_; you, the picture of the queen or king of _England_. In another way, they idolize a dead man or woman; whereas your idol is yet alive. O how little is the difference before God? How small pre-eminence has the money-worshipper at _London_, over the image-worshipper at _Rome_? Or the idolizer of a living sinner, over him that prays to a dead saint?
11. Take one step farther. Does the _Papist_ abroad _persecute_? Does he _force_ another man’s conscience? So does the _Papist_ at home, as far as he can; for all he calls himself a _Protestant_. Will the man in _Italy tolerate_ no opinion but his own? No more, if he could help it, would the man in _England_. Would _you_? Don’t you think the government much overseen, in _bearing_ with any but those of the _church_? Don’t you wish, they would _put down_ such and such people? You know what _you_ would do, if you was in their place.――And by the very same spirit you would continue the inquisition at _Rome_, and rekindle the fires in _Smithfield_.
12. It is because our nation is over-run with _such Protestants_, who are full of their own _good-deservings_, as well as of abominable _idolatry_, and of blind, fiery zeal of the whole spirit of _persecution_; that the sword of God, the great, the just, the jealous God, is even now drawn in our land: that the armies of the aliens are hovering over it, as a vulture over his prey; and that the _open Papists_ are on the very point of swallowing up the _pretended Protestants_.¹
¹ This was wrote during the late rebellion.