to little purpofe; confidering how lavish he has been in quoting fcripture, more by the found of words than any real relation to the point in hand. 'Tis an eafy thing by leading questions to direct, as that author has done, to a multitude of texts in a small compass, which to an unwary reader fhall at first fight feem pertinent; when the fetting forth and vindicating the true Jenfe of a small part of those texts fhall unavoidably be voluminous. But notwithstanding this difadvantage : if a number of plain texts are produced, with which the creed of pope PIUS is altogether inconfiftent; if those, upon which the papifts are known to lay the greatest stress, are all of them confidered, and fhewn to make nothing to their purpose; and if upon the whole it be proved, that the doctrines, wherein papifts differ from proteftants, are contrary both to the tenor of Scripture and to found reafoning: then the bulk, to which this effay has unwillingly arifen, it is hoped, will be excufed.

Lond. Nov. 5. 1735.

A

A View of POPERY:

taken from the Creed of Pope PIUS the IVth.

Very fimall treatife, intituled, The Creed of pope Pius the IV. or a Profpect of Popery, taken from that authentic Record, was printed in the year 1687, on occafion of the vifible growth of popery at that time, and the danger of its increafing farther. It is upon the apprehenfion that zealous endeavours are now employed by Romish emiffaries, in many parts of this nation, to gain profelytes to popery, that this effay is fent abroad; attended with earneft defires that it may be of fome ufe towards preventing fo great an evil.

The author of that treatise laid his plan very judiciously, when he determined to take his account of the Romish doctrine, not from any fingle doctor of that church, though ever fo cele

brated

[6]

brated; but from the authentic acts of their church. For it is certain, that how good ground foever proteftants have to charge particular perfons with monftrous abfurdities; (for example, to charge Cardinal * Bellarmine with affirming, that if the pope should enjoin the practice of vice, or forbid the practice of virtue, the church would be bound to believe vice to be good, and virtue to be evil) yet charity will teach us to hope at least, that the papifts in general do not harbour such monftrous thoughts in their breafts. But those things, which the church of Rome requires to be believed as articles of faith, on pain of damnation, and which her clergy are upon oath obliged to maintain and defend, may very fairly and justly be looked on as the avowed doctrine of that church. And fuch is the creed of pope Pius IV as appears by his bull concerning the form of the oath of the profeffion of faith, dated in November 1564, and printed with the acts of the council of Trent. For in that bull the creed itself is thus introduced: I N. N. do with a firm faith believe and profefs all and every thing which is contained in that fymbol of faith, which the holy Roman church ufeth: that is to fay Then, after recital of the creed, it is added: This is the true catholic faith, without which no man can be faved: and a form is provided, whereby the fuperior clergy promife, vow and fwear, that to the laft breath of their lives they will most fedfastly, with the help of God, retain and confefs it intire

and

* Si papa erraret, præcipiendo vitia, vel prohibendo virtutes; teneretur ecclefia credere vitia effe bona, & virtutes malas, nifi vellet contra confcientiam peccare. Bellarm. de Roman. pontif. lib. IV. cap. 5.

and unviolated; and take care, as much as in them lies, that it be held, taught and preached by all perfons fubject to them, or whom by their office they are obliged to take care of.

The creed itself contains the fubftance of the decrees and canons of the Trent Council: and being usually divided into twenty-four articles, is fo plaufible as to exprefs the first twelve in the very words of that creed which is * commonly called the Nicene; the greatest part whereof all proteftants believe and acknowledge. But there is this great difference between the manner, wherein the Nicene creed is impofed in popish countries, and wherein they who adhere to the true proteftant principle receive it or any part of it: that the one require it to be received upon an equal foot of authority with the holy scriptures; the other believe and acknowledge the things contained in it, not because the fathers of the Nicene council fo believed or fo decreed; but because they are satisfied that the things themselves are contained in the holy fcriptures, and fo far only as they are therein contained: fo that their faith is ultimately refolved into the word of God, and not into the commandments of men. Herein

*

they

That what is vulgarly called the Nicene Creed, is not the creed made by the council of Nice in the year 325, appears from the copies produced by Socrates in his ecclef. hift. pag. 176. edit. Rob. Steph. 1544, and by Labbé, in his collection of councils, tom. II. pag. 27. From the fame collection of councils, tom. II. pag. 951. it appears, that what is now commonly called the Nicene Creed, is that which was made by the council of Conftantinople in the year 381; or at leaft has a much nearer likeness to that than to the other. However, as both creeds contain for fubftance the fame doctrine, I fhall make no fcruple to call that the Nicene Creed, which ufually goes by that name.

they affert their liberty as becomes proteftants. The greatest part however of the things contained in this creed, as was before obferved, they all believe and acknowledge.

But this, it seems, was not enough for a creed of the church of Rome. There must be fome form of faith, whereby, as by an authentic act, papists must for ever be distinguished from proteftants. Twelve new articles therefore are added which are all truly Romish, and built folely upon human authority. Thefe I fhall fet down in order, and make fome remarks on them.

But it is needful firft to warn the reader of the enfnaring manner, in which the articles of pope Pius's creed are connected with thofe of the Nicene. The Nicene creed makes mention of one, boly, catholic and apoftolic church: and the creed of pope Pius begins with a profeffion of admitting and embracing the traditions, &c. of the fame church; infinuating, that all the traditions of the church of Rome are traditions of the one, holy, catholic and apoftolic church. And it is certain the Romanifts do pretend, that all these characters belong to their church, and to that alone. They make themselves the whole church of Chrift; and exclude all others from being fo much as a part of it. They confine holiness to themselves; and confidently affirm, that their church alone is derived from the apostles.

These things are not indeed expreffly afferted in pope Pius's firft article. It was more plaufible to fpeak of the church in a general way at the beginning; becaufe every one would more readily afcribe the characters of one, boly, catholic

and