Chapter 14: Popish Contradictions

Popish Contradictions.

This is our last task; our Author's own Story of himself, and rare observations in the Roman-Religion, make up the close of his Discourse, and merit in his thoughts the title of Discovery. The design of the whole is to manifest his Catholic Religion to be absolutely unblameable, by wiping off some spots and blemishes that are cast upon it; indeed by gilding over with fair and plausible words some parts of their profession and worship which he knew to be most liable to the exceptions of them with whom he intends to deal. His way of managing this Design, that he may seem to do something new, is, by telling a fair tale of himself, and his Observations with the effects they had upon him; which is but the putting of a new tune to an old Song, that has been chanted at our doors, these 100 years; and some he hopes are so simple, as to like the new tune, though they were sick of the old Song. His entrance is, a blessing of the world with some knowledge of himself, his Parentage, Birth, and Education, and proficiency in his Studies — as not doubting, but that great enquiry must needs be made after the meanest concernments of such an Hero, as by his achievements and travails he has manifested himself to be. And indeed, he has so handsomely and delightfully given us the Romance of himself and Popery, that it was pity he should so unhappily stumble at the threshold, as he has done, and fall upon a misadventure that to some men will render the design of his discourse suspected. For whereas he does elsewhere most confidently aver, that no trouble ever was raised among us by the Romanists; here at unawares he informs us, that his own Grandfather lost both his life and his estate, in a Rebellion raised in the North on the account of that Religion. Just as before, attempting to prove, that we received Christianity originally from Rome, he tells us, that the first Planters of it, came directly from Palestina. It is in vain for him to persuade us, that what has been, can never be again, unless he manifest the Principles which formerly gave it life and being, to be vanished out of the world; which as to those of the Romanists, tending to the disturbance of these Kingdoms, I fear he is not able to do.

There is not any thing else, which Protestants are universally bound to observe in the course of his life, before he went beyond the Seas, but only the offence he took at men's preaching at London against Popery; not, that he was then troubled, if we may believe him, that Popery was ill reported of, but the miscarriage of the Preachers in bringing in the Papal Church hand over-head in their Sermons, speaking all evil and no good of it, and charging it with contradictions, was that, which gave him distaste. He knows himself best what it was that troubled him, nor shall I set up conjectures against his assertions. The triple evil mentioned, so far as it is evil, I hope, he finds now remedied. For my part, I never liked of men's importune diversions from their Texts, to deal with, or confute Papists, which is the first part of the evil complained of. I know a far more effectual way to preserve men from Popery, namely, a solid instruction of them in the Principles of Truth with an endeavour to plant in their hearts the power of those Principles, that they may have experience of their worth and usefulness. That nothing but evil was spoken of Popery by Protestants, when they spoke of it, I cannot wonder; they account nothing evil in the Religion of the Romanists but Popery; which is the name of the evil of that Religion. No Protestants ever denied, but that the Romanists retained many good things in the Religion, which they profess; but those good things, they say, are no part of Popery; so that our Author should not by right, have been so offended, that men spoke no good of that, which is the expression of the evil of that, which in its self, is good, as Popery is of the Papists' Christianity. The last parcel of that which was the matter of his trouble and offence, he displays by sundry of the contradictions, which Protestants charged Popery withal. To little purpose; for, either, the things he mentions, are not by any charged on Popery, or not in that manner he expresseth, or the contradiction between them, consists not in the assertions themselves, but in some additional terms supplied by himself to make them appear Contradictions. For instance, (to take those given by himself) if one say, the Papists worship stocks and stones, another say, they worship a piece of Bread, here is no contradiction. Again, if one charge them with having their Consciences affrighted with Purgatory and Doomsday, and Penances for their sins that they never live a quiet life; another, that they carry their top and top gallant so high, that they will go to Heaven without Christ, or (as we in the Country phrase it) trust not to his merits and righteousness alone for salvation, here may be no contradiction: for all Papists are not, we know it well enough, of the same mould and form. Some may more imbibe some Principles of Religion tending in appearance to mortification, some those that lead to pride and presumption; and so be liable to several charges. But neither are these things inconsistent in themselves. Men in their greatest consternation of spirit from sense of punishment, real or imaginary, wherewith they are disquieted, may yet proudly reject the righteousness of Christ; and if our Author knows not this to be true, he knows nothing of the Gospel. The next instance is of the same nature. One, he says, affirms, that Murders, Adulteries, Lies, Blasphemies, and all sin make up the bulk of Popery; another, that Papists are so wholly given to good Works, that they place in them excessive confidence. I scarce believe, that he ever heard any thus crudely charging them with either part of the imagined contradictory Proposition. Taking Popery, as the Protestants do, for the exorbitancy of the Religion, which the Romanists profess; and considering the product of it in the most of mankind, it may be some by an usual hyperbole have used the words first mentioned; but, if we should charge the Papists, for being wholly given to good works, we should much wrong both them and our selves, seeing we perfectly know the contrary. The sum of both these things brought into one, is but this, that many Papists in the course of a scandalously sinful life, do place much of their confidence in good works; which is indeed, a strange contradiction in Principles, between their speculation and practise; but we know well enough, there is none in the charge. Let us consider one more; one affirmed, that the Pope and all his Papists fall down to pictures, and commit Idolatry with them; another, that the Pope is so far from falling down to any thing, that he exalts himself above all, that is called God, and is very Antichrist. If one had said, he falls down to Images, another, that he falls not down to Images, there had been a contradiction indeed; but our Author by his own testimony being a Civil Logician, knows well enough that the falling down in the first Proposition, and that in the second are things of a diverse nature, and so are no contradiction. A man may fall down to Images, and yet refuse to submit himself to the power that God has set over him. And those of whom he speaks, would have told him, that a great part of the Pope's exalting himself against God, consists in his falling down to Images, wherein he exalts his own Will and Tradition, against the Will and express commands of God. The same may be showed of all the following instances, nor can he give any one that shall manifest Popery to be charged by sober Protestants with any other contradictions, than what appears to every eye in the inconsistency of some of their Principles one with another, and of most of them with their practise. In the particulars by himself enumerated, there is no other show of the charge of contradictory evils in Popery, than what by his Additions and wresting expressions is put upon them.

Weary of such preaching in England, our Author addressed himself to travel beyond the Seas, where what he met withal, what he observed, the weight and strength of his own Conversion, being laid in pretence upon it, (indeed an Apology for the more generally excepted against parts of his Roman practise, and worship, being intended and pursued) must be particularly considered and debated.