What an abomination! what a fetting herself against God is this! The Bible, it feems, is not a bleffing. None of that celeftial light must shine, but through the chinks of a Popifh licence: and even thefe the ghoftly father may fhut up, as a defire to read the Bible is generally deemed to smell ftrong of herefy. What an abomination to burn whole impressions of the Bible, in the open market-place! to drag particular copies through the streets! throw them into kennels, ftamp them under their feet, and tear them in pieces *! What an abomination to alter, or to add to the words of God! This the Romish church has done, not merely by her tedious train of traditions, but in her Latin version of the Bible. In Gen. iii. 15. they read, SHE shall bruife thy head; that is, fay they, The Virgin Mary fhall bruise the serpent's head. Herod meditated murder foon as he heard that Jefus was born; and they would blot out his name, foon as it begins to fhine in the facred page, and fmother the firft dawn of evangelic day. In Heb. xiii. 16. they read, With fuch facrifices God is MERITED and hence they establish the merit of. good works. The tranflators of the new teftament printed at Bourdeaux, anno 1686, read 1 Tim. iv. 1-3. in the following manner, The Spirit faith, that in the latter times fome fhall depart from the Roman faith. Condemning the facrament of marriage, and abftinence from meats, 1 Cor. iii. 15. they read He shall be faved as by the fire of Purgatory. In Acts xiii. 2. they read, As they offered the facrifice of the Ridgley's body of divinity, Vol. II. p. 366. MASS to the Lord f.-What infernal additions these? what a vile adulterating of the word? what drofs mixed with the pureft gold? what an irrefragable evidence of a bad caufe? what a mother of abominations must fhe be, who can allow, yea, authorize fuch things! Scripture is either absolutely kept back, or falfely tranflated: the fountain either fealed, or empoisoned. Would not all men count him an enemy who would wish to put out the fun, that fo the world might perifh? What an enemy then muft that church be, who would keep the world in darkness, and forbid men to walk in the light of the Lord! At the fame time commanding them to walk in the light of her fire, and among the fparks which she hath kindled! what an abomination to love darkness rather than light! what other reafon can be affigned for this, but because her deeds are evil? How abominable her idolatries, in worshipping angels, faints, and images! And what base methods does the use to screen herfelf from the charge! The fecond commandment, fhe makes an appendix or explication of the firft, Hence fhe conftantly leaves it out in her catechisms and public offices, left the people fhould obferve its manifeft contrariety to image-worship. And, to keep up the number of ten commandments, the divides the tenth into two. But with equal grace might she make, it feven. What adorations does the pay to the Virgin Mary! Her name is often inferted, inftead of the name of the Most High. So in the book called her Pfalter, whatever was directed to God alone, is blafphem + Picteti Theol. Chret. Vol. II. p. 200, 274, 645. oufly transferred to her. Accordingly, in many of the Pfalms where we read Lord, they invoke their Lady. O come, fay they, let us kneel before the VIRGIN MARY*. They call her, in their public litanies and prayers, The Mother of grace and mercy; the Queen; the gate of heaven; the refuge and advo cate of finners, &c. Nay, fo high their idolatry, that they use these blafphemous words, By thy authority as a mother, (horréfco referens!) command thy Son†• In worshipping other faints and angels, they pretend an inferior or distinct kind of worship.-It is well known, however, that the vulgar make no diftinction: and it may be doubted if the devil, daring as he was, claimed any other than a fubordinate kind of worship from our Lord. For he pretends his fubordination, as the ground of his impious demand; Luke iv. 6, 7. All this power is delivered unto me: If thou therefore wilt worship me, all fhall be thine. What an abomination is the doctrine of difpenfations! That lawless man of Rome, can dispense with what the word of God forbids. For money, he can allow fornication, inceft, and even the fin of Sodom. He can dispense with oaths and vows. -This proclaims him to be the enemy indeed. What an abomination is the doctrine of fupererogation! That is, that men can do more than the law requires: and hence, not only merit for themfelves, but have an overplus of merit to be given to others. Wealthy virgins indeed, who have not only oil enough for themfelves, but alfo an over Ridgley's body of divinity, Vol. II. p. 258. K plus to light their neighbours lamps. The law requires to love the Lord with all the heart, and with all the foul; and our neighbour as ourselves.—But it feems the profelytes of Rome can do more, can go beyond this. What an abomination are indulgences! The overplus of merit is a treasure, the keys whereof hang at the Pope's girdle: and fuch portions as he is pleased to dispense of these merits to particular perfons, are called indulgences. These are obtained by money. Great was the merchandise in Luther's time; and fuch blafphemous things were faid by the merit-monger Texellius, that his holy indignation was awakened to write against Popery: which circumftance gave rife to the Reformation in Germany. Though at that time the letters of papal indulgences had an appendix, bearing that they would be given to the poor for God's fake; yet it is well known, that Frederic Myconius, then a poor youth, afterwards an eminent Reformer, could by no intreaties procure an indulgence gratis. And after a long difpute with Texellius, feeing that he was afking water from a flint, he went away, partly forrowful that he could not have his requeft; and yet rejoicing that there was ftill a God in heaven, who would pardon the penitent, without money and without price, for the fake of the righteousnefs of Chrift his only Son *. What an abomination is the unbloody facrifice of the mafs! wherein it is pretended that Chrift is again offered as a facrifice for fin. 'Ere he died on the tree, he faid, It is finished. And, fays the a * Melch. Adam. Vita. Myconii, p. 175. But the poftle, Christ was once offered; and after he had offered one facrifice for fins, he for ever fat down on the right-hand of God, Heb. ix. 28. ́x. 12. church of Rome speaks a very different language. Chrift, fay they, is offered in the mass, as a propitiatory facrifice for the living and the dead. Thus, themselves being judges, they in effect crucify him afresh. What an abomination is purgatory, and prayers for the dead! Through covetoufnefs, with feigned words, (as Peter foretold, 2 Epift. ii. 3.) doth the Pope and his priests make merchandise of men.The fouls of men conclude the catalogue of the merchandise of Babylon the great, Rev. xviii. 12, 13. What a traffic is purgatory in the church of Rome! what a world of gain has it brought to the priests*! How abominable the doctrine of tranfubftantiation! According to it, every mass-priest can make his maker, and eat his god. According to it, a Saviour's body, which is in heaven, can be also among the hands of a Popish prieft. Thus it can be in heaven and earth together and at once.-Argue they, Chrift himself fays of the bread, This is my body; therefore his real body it must be. But at this rate, he is alfo a door, a vine, a rock. According to the Popish argument, the feven kine in Pharaoh's dream, did not fignify feven years, but really were seven years, Gen. xli. 26. Nor How precious Purgatory is to them, we may partly learn from this, that Cotton the Jefuit, was not afhamed to ask from the devil himself fome place of fcripture which they had not yet difcovered, to eftablifh this gainful doctrine. Inftitut. Turret. Vol. III. p. 709. |