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much to be ascribed to a Creature, especially when they pray to a Saint, not only to Pray for them, but to give them all Blessings, Spiritual, and Temporal, for Protection from all Enemies, Ghostly and Bodily, from all Evils at Sea, and Land: By so doing, they ascribe a kind of Omnipotency to the Saint also.

And though they do grant, that the Saint gets these good things for them of God, yet they are beholden to the Saint, else they think, God would not have given them. And therefore though they own God to be the original Author, yet they look on the Saint as the immediate Donor, to whom they are immediately, and especially obliged. And after all this, they cannot but grant, that there is no necessity of praying to a Saint. For they can as well, at the same time pray to God himself, who they are sure, hears them, and can help them, and who will be so far from taking it ill, that he expects to be prayed to by us, and is called in the Scripture, the God that heareth Prayer.

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But though God is so willing to be prayed to by us, yet still there are some Prayers, which I cannot think that he is much pleased withal; And that is, Prayers for the Dead, which are so constantly offered up, and make a considerable part of the Devotions of the Church of Rome. For whatever Instances are found in the Primi

tive Church of Prayers for the Dead, were only either Evidences of their Belief of the Souls living after Death, which they thought proper to Inculcate, and by this means, to Evidence in a Heathen World; or else were Arguments of their own abundant Charity, and of the Imperfect state as to Happiness, in which they supposed the Best men to be, till the general Resurrection; but it is evident, they had no knowledge of those Purgatory Pains, which are now the only occasion of the prayers for the Dead in the Church of Rome. And accordingly, they prayed only for the Best people, for such of whose salvation and happiness there was no doubt, as the Virgin Mary, and Apostles; which is directly contrary to the present Doctrine, and practice of the Church of Rome.

And though the Ancients, on some mistaken Notions, concerning the state of the Soul, did sometimes thus Pray for the Souls of good men; yet seldom or never for the Souls of bad men. Nor did they make that ill use of it, that is now made in the Roman Communion. For now in the Church of Rome, nothing is so easily secured as Eternal Salvation, the Absolution of a Priest being sufficient for that. Therefore all that any man need fear, is only the Punishment of Purgatory; and to pray for their deliverance thence, is half the business of their surviving

Friends,

Friends, and the Purchase perhaps of half their Estates. But if the Justice of God would not pass by, or forgive this Temporal Punishment, as they call it, before the Person's Death, and whilst he might amend, and be made better by the use of the means of Grace, how can we think that God should pardon him now, seeing there is no hope of his growing better. I cannot indeed so much wonder that the Church now should be glad to have this Opinion prevail among the people; But I admire that the people, or indeed any that love Truth, should rely, or depend on it, especially seeing there is not one word in Scripture to encourage this Opinion, nor one Instance of Prayer for the Dead; not any supposition of any Fire in the other World, but that which never shall be quenched; nothing but vehement Exhortations to work while it is called to day, before the Night of Death comes, when no man can work; altogether another kind of method of Salvation than is now taught, and practised in the Church of Rome.

I might also insist on many other Articles, and shew them to be Innovations or Additions to the Faith, as of the seven Sacraments, Traditions, Sacrifice of the Mass Communion in one kind, Indulgencies, ascribing such virtue to Institutions of their own, viz. a Monastic Life, Holy Water, Crossing themselves, their Doctrine of

Merit, and Supererogation, of the Pope's power to Depose Princes, absolve Subjects from their Allegiance, (which I persuade myself, St. Peter would never have pretended to) of the lawfulness of breaking their Faith with Heretics; and especially, seeing they of the Church of Rome insist on these, as the very Foundation of Religion, and will promise you Salvation, if you do but own, and profess these, let your Life be what it will be, according to that saying of Tertullian, concerning the Heretics of his time, Nunquam facilius proficitur quàm in castris Rebellium, ubi ipsum esse illic promoveri est.

But of all the Points of Popery there have been so many, and so excellent Discourses of late written by the Clergy, especially in and about the City of London, that I need say no more, but refer my Reader to them.

CHAP. VI.

Of Civil Conversation.

HOUGH the World be one of the Ene

TH

mies which I am warned of in Scripture and in my Baptism, I renounce and promise to fight against, and though the ill customs and examples in it, are too often a Snare to many: Yet still I am taught in the Church of England, that I may lawfully, and ought to converse in it. For as it hath difficulties and temptations to Vice, so it gives also occasion to exercise our Virtues; and therefore is no more evil or dan gerous than our life itself here, which is a state of trial, in which it is expected that we must do good and suffer hardship in order to an Eternal reward. And I cannot think that the wise and good God would, not only have sent us into the World, but also have made so many employments necessary and useful in order to our subsistence here, if it had been a sin to manage those employments, or to converse with those that do. Therefore I rest fully assured that whatever employment is necessary, or useful in the World,

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