Penal Laws were taken away, which (as he fays) are the Fences and Bulwarks of the Proteftant Religion, it would foon fall to Pieces, and thefe Prodigal Children return to their Mother, the Church of Rome.

But certainly N. C. cannot be ignorant, nor forget, what Usage the Proteftants have met with in Popish Countries, and what they still undergo; how many Thousands of them have been Murder'd, and fent to Heaven in a Fiery Chariot; and what Cruelties have been practis'd upon their Bodies, Eftates, and innocent Children; that they have been harrafs'd with Dragoons, condemn'd to Imprisonment, and the Gallies; whereby their Lives have been render'd fo miferable, that a speedy Death was much more defirable: Thefe poor miferable Wretches, who were guilty of no Crime but their Religion, would have look'd upon it as a peculiar Favour, to have underwent the worst Sufferings the Papifts are liable to amongst the Proteftants. Cruelty and Perfecution, meerly for Confcience fake, is contrary to the Spirit and Genius of the Gospel of Love and Peace: But feditious Practices against the State, endeavours of fubverting the Fundamental Laws of the Government, feducing Subjects from their Religion and Allegiance,

giance, are Crimes of fo black and dan gerous a nature, that they ought to be repreffed by the Civil Magiftrate, and if perfevered in, feverely punished. And fuch Crimes as these have been prov'd against those Papifts who have fuffer'd in England. And as for the Teft and Penal Laws, 'tis but juft and reasonable, that those who depend upon a Foreign Head, and have made over their Allegiance to another Government, fhould be excluded from having any share in ours.

And fo little reafon has N. C. to affirm, that the Proteftant Religion is supported by Perfecution of its Enemies, and by the Preferments in our Church; that it may with more Truth, be retorted upon the Papifts,whofe Religion permits them to accommodate themselves to all Humours and Capacities, to make use of pious Frauds, and notorious Impostures, to filence fuch Truths as are not for their purpose, and (if 'tis for the good of the Church) to conceal even the Profeffion of Chriftianity. it felf; So that from thefe,and many more fuch inftances, 'tis very reasonable to conclude, That did the Papists but understand the Principles and Practices of their own Church, and was their Religion but fet in a true Light before them, and they left at liberty to determine for themfelves that those who have Honefly and Judg

ment

ment fufficient to weigh and confider things, would rather chufe to be Turks and Heathens, than fuch fort of Christians as the Church of Rome teaches Men to be.

Of the Invocation of Saints.

T

HE Invocation of Saints is one of thofe Idolatrous Practices which we charge upon the Church of Rome, whereby they fall in with the fuperftitious Ufages of Heathen Rome, who deify'd their deceas'd Princes and Benefactors and therefore when the Archbishop treats of this Subject, 'tis no wonder that he lays about him, (as our Author tells us) i. e. takes a great deal of pains to convince his Hearers of the finfulness of this Practice, and how much they difplease God thereby, and hazard their eternal Salvation.

Of this N. C. feems to be fenfible, and therefore he is wonderful cautious and wary in ftating this Article of the Popish Faith. He tells us indeed from the Council of Trent, That that which they hold to be of Faith, is, That the Saints, who reign with Jefus Chrift, offer up their Prayers for

Men;

Men; that it is good and profitable to invocate them after an humble manner, and to have recourse to their Prayers, Aid and Affiftance, to obtain of God his Benefits, thro our Lord Jefus Chrift his Son, our only Sa. viour and Redeemer.

C

Bur N. C. adds, That tho' the Coun'cil declares this to be the Faith of the 'Church concerning this Point, yet it 'does not command or oblige any of the 'Laity to pray to the Saints, or invocate them; that 'tis not abfolutely neceffary, ' and that the Church leaves every one at liberty to make ufe of it, or not: Nay, p. 230. he abfolutely denies the Matter of Fact, and would bear us down; That the Papifts only commemorate the holy Apoftles, the bleffed Virgin Mary, and the Saints, in the publick Service of the Church; but, fays he, we do not put up any formal Prayers to them. Certainly N. C.'s Book was defign'd for the ufe of very weak and ignorant Perfons, or of fuch Romanists as have an implicite Faith for all that the Guides of their Confciences fay; other wife he could never imagine, that fuch notorious Falfhoods, and evident Prevarications could pass upon any intelligent Reader; for tho' the Papifts give up themfelves to be led blindfold by their fagacious and infallible Guides, yet we Proteftants take the liberty to make use of our Senfes,

Senfes, and to weigh things in the Balance of unprejudic'd Reafon, and are not willing to pin our Faith, and the Hopes of our Eternal Salvation, on the Sleeves of any Guide, tho' he pretends to never fo much Infallibility. And therefore I fhall take the Liberty to compare N. with C. and to confider, whether 'tis poffible to reconcile those Inconfiftencies he is guilty of; for certainly never any Man had a better Title to that Character of Martial,

Nemo eft tam prope, tam proculque fibi.

Well then, N. C. tells us, that the Church of Rome doth not command or oblige any of the Laity to Pray to Saints; but doth not their Church command the Laity to join in their Publick Worship, and are not the Prayers of the Saints a Part of their Publick Worship? This he confeffes, but tells us, 'That in the Pub'lick and Solemn Service of the Church, (excepting the Litanies of the Saints, which are read or fung folemnly four times a Year; the General Confeffion of Sins in the beginning of the Mafs, a few 'Hymns, Anthems, and Verficles, read only once a Year) they put up no 'Prayers to Saints or Angels. What trifling is here? Would it not be more ingenuous and becoming an honest Man, to

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tell