Table Of Content

AiAbsscky Be of ben 7 Counc, Vol 15 EXbrartan Brearpara Joykcishen Pubtle LiDeaap Govt. of Weet Brogal cred AUTHORITY OF GENERAL COUNCILS . ‘EXAMINED, AND ROMAN FORGERIES THEREIN peractep Y.f « y~ 4N HISTORICAL EXAMINATION AUTHONITY OF GENERAL COUNCILS, TOE WALSH DESLING THAT HASH BREN USED IN TIE PUR: LISHING OP TEM; AND NU MSPPRMENCE AMONGST TRE PAPGstS TRENSELYRS ABOUT THER NOMBRE. THD PREFACE, ‘Tux chief controversies betwoen (he Church of Eagland smi thy Choreli of Ro:ne have of late heen managed to the last ad~ vantage on both sides. ‘The more judiciana scem te he sali fied, and others to he tired out with a elost and eager «ichate of above two years’ continuance ; all seem to be settled nom, and fixed in their principles, and avery one vece, or thinks he sees an which ede the truth fies. F am confident all bas heen seid for Popery that can he said, though T am nc! so well abe -@ ured that ranch more might nat have ticen nid against it, which has been snared out of regard to onr common, Chritinity, and to telizion in general, besides the respect duc to a roti and gracious Prince ef thet communion. But aur adversaries ‘have uot been wanting to their own cause in this opportouity, nor in the least frvoutuble to ones. At fit, they woulll seem to bo satisfied, if they conld be truly represented and rightly uM a0 @ THE PREFACE, degen but those colour were soa wiped of, and sme thing Mwat be done to Klacken us, when they could not appear so lovely us they desired. Lahorions attempts, tiorciore, ‘have heea made against the chief points of the Reformation, ageinst our office of the eucharist, against our Churclrgavern- ment and ordination, and all this hy a person who has heen 86 Title convinced by these books, that while le ad them by tina hhe lived in our communion for many years, howe¥er now they , ome fo operate upon him. But if they have wo speedier effect upon athers than they have hail upon him. they seem to be designed for the conversion of the next age, and indeed they hitherto heve had but little suceces npon this. But I lesve ‘him #o God and to his own conscience, though the world may justly expect mn exeowst from him, to shew that anything has Yeon ever sid to give uso worse representation of Popery than such a practice may do, It is eertain, nothing has been Soft uneitemptod which mght blemish the Church of Englend in ‘ty doctriug, or iu its discipline. And to give the work its Inst aud beroe turn, and shame men into a sense of religion, md inte a true notion of the Catholic Church, beasts. hare Leen made to dispute in the mngnificence of verse ahove the ordi- any capitis of men, onl a thie ls to work upon x eaien and obstinate age, nothing em ever do it. Herein the author follows the wisdom of the meients, who were wont to instil their doctrines by fables and allusions ; but, as bis manner is, he tas mightily improved this way beyond whatever the ancients know. For their beasts wore wont to speak as yn ‘would imagine beasts to do, if they had the use of epecch ; ‘but bis beats are all heroes, and excced most men that ever 1 act with. sop and Pheedrus were content with bessts as they found them ; only thoy made them prate after a bratish Kind of fashion. Horace’s brutes too were as unheroical brutes as any of Hxop’s, and Virgil himself could wot advance his Theaste one pitch above their nature. No, his nionarrh of the bees di nof, thot I can vnderstund, make one heroical buz. But onr pots, to the confusion of mankind, hae mude brutes apeak sich rare things as no man ever spoke, nor perhaps can understand. “Yet after all that has been said in verse or in prose against us, o ig bebslf of the Church of Rome, I am not convinced ‘pus,thst she ig the seme Church of Rome stilt which she was ‘an fumdred years ago : bay, she would not be thougbi. other wise; that were as much as her infallibility is worth. There is ‘ THR PREPACR. s uot the least concern of oury to discover the Church p/"Rome to be worse than she is uow repregaited to be, but we afiould, be glad if we were misinken, and could find her so much altered for the better. Tt wore inoxeusable in us to dislike, o not to acknowledge anything of a Roformation, which was carried on lire by degrees, oud we pray God to prosper any hegimings of it in other countries. “But if the Church of Frauce must be put upon us for the whole Roman Catholic Church, and the sentiments of some particular men. for the doctrines of that, Chiuch ; if we must he persunded that all {Be vesetiow and diversities of opinious inthe Church of Rome favo ever been infallibly the same, and that Italy will subscribe to what Fronce shall dictate, or that even all ‘or the greatest putt of the clergy of France will agree to the Bishop of Meunx's Softenings and refixings ; these are strange things, and will not Toulily be admitted. ~ France has indeed all the learaing of the Rowan commenion confined in a manner within itsolf, and secms tu set, up for ax ernpire of arte and xeligion as well as of arms, md thet mmst needs pass for catholic doctrine that has so much learning and so mony legions 20 defend it, The Sesuits have 1 known distinction botwoon the Popery of France and the Popery of Rome, as P. Cotton confessed in the point of allegiance ; ‘and they arc of late much concerned for the in- terest of the French Church, anil for the Pope’s infallibility even in matters of fact at the samo time, ao that if st any time by the power of France they can get a Pope of their society, bby virtue of a very convenient doctrine, that the Pope may chacse his own successor, they have at once an infallible and a Perpetual Pope, and then the Jesuits! morals may be gospel, ough the present Pope has termed them wus ; but ‘thot may be seandslous at one time which is not so at another. (Buarez asserts, that the Popo may change the manner of elze- tion now in use, upd Carleton Cure. Thealogte tom. poster, Disnatat. 22. sect. 6.) It is contain that Popery is carried on in all its heights even in Frnuce tie, and the Callican priv ‘betrayed by that very sort of mex who would now be thought the chief defenders of them. ‘The author of 2 book entitled, the Peraicioua Con- jnetices of the New Heresy of the Jesuite against the King and the State, poblished Vebruary 1, 1662, being an advocate of Parliament, complains that the opinion of the Pope's iafall bibty bad got ground in France, and that there was groat like- Tihood of its spreading daily, it being the general opmion of na :