words of our Saviour, "I am a door," and "I am a vine," should not perceive one in these words, "this is my body;" where all the world besides himself and his infallible Church will say, that those must have put out their eyes who cannot discern it. But yet, after all that Bellarmine and other Popish authors have said of the obscurity of the Scriptures, and their making them a mere nose of wax, to be turned this way or that way as their Church pleaseth; and the scandalous insinuations against them, and sometimes broad invectives, which are found in their books, we must still believe (if we will take their own word for it) that they (good men) have no less a veneration for them than ourselves. And they must needs be aware how highly necessary it is, if it be possible, to make us think so. But I will answer them in the words of our learned Chillingworth,* with which I will conclude, viz. "This being once settled in the minds of men, that unwritten traditions, if proposed by the Church of Rome, were to be received with equal reverence to those that were written; and that the sense of Scripture is not that which seems to men's reason and understanding to be so, but that which she should declare to be so, seemeth it never so unreasonable and incongruous. The matter being once thus ordered, and the holy Scriptures being made in effect not your directors and judges (no farther than you please), but your servants and instruments, always pressed and in readiness to advance your designs; and disabled wholly with minds so qualified to prejudice or impeach them: it is safe for you to put a crown upon their head, and a reed in their hands, and to bow before them and cry, Hail, King of the Jews! To pretend a great deal of esteem and respect and reverence to them, as here you do. But to little purpose is verbal reverence, without entire submission and sincere obedience. And as our Saviour said of some, so the Scripture, could it speak, I believe would say to you: Why call ye me Lord, Lord, and do not that which I command you ?' Cast away the vain and arrogant pretence of infallibility, which makes your errors incurable. Leave picturing of God, and worshipping him by pictures. Teach not for doctrines the commandments of men. Debar not the laity of the testament of Christ's blood," &c. And I add, acknowledge what one would think those of you that have read the Scriptures must 6 * Against Knot, part 1. chap. 2. p. 46. needs see, viz. that they are far from being obscure in matters necessary; and whatsoever the Scriptures command you, do; and then we shall willingly give you such a testimony as you deserve; but till you do so, to talk of estimation, respect, and reverence to the Scripture, is nothing else but talk. THE WORSHIP OF THE CHURCH OF ROME JUSTLY CONDEMNED. A BOOK I. THE WORSHIP OF THE CHURCH OF ROME JUSTLY CONDEMNED AS AN IDOLATROUS WORSHIP; OR SCRIPTURE PROOF OF THE UNLAWFULNESS OF GIVING ANY RELIGIOUS WORSHIP TO ANY OTHER BEING BESIDES THE ONE SUPREME GOD. THE INTRODUCTION. Of all the disputes between us and the Church of Rome, there is none of greater concernment than that about the Object of religious worship. We affirm, as the Scripture has taught us, Matth. iv. 10, that we must " worship the Lord our God, and serve him only." The Church of Rome teaches, "that there is a degree of religious worship, which we may give to some excellent creatures, to angels and saints, and images, and the host, and to the relics of saints and martyrs." If they are in the right, we may be thought very rude and uncivil at least, in denying to pay that worship, which is due to such excellent creatures, and very injurious to ourselves in it, by losing the benefit of their prayers and patronage. If we be in the right, the Church of Rome is guilty of giving that worship to creatures which is due to God alone, which is acknowledged on all hands to be the greatest of sins; and therefore this is a dispute which can never be compromised, though we were never so desirous of an union and reconciliation with the Church of Rome; for the incommunicable glory of God, and the salvation of our souls, are too dear things to be given away in compliment to any Church. And should it appear in the next world (for I believe it will never appear to be so in this) that we were mistaken, that we were over nice and curious in refusing to worship saints and angels, yet ours is a much more innocent and pardonable mistake, than that which the Church of Rome is guilty of, if they should prove to be mistaken. We are only wanting in some religious courtship, which we might innocently have given to saints and angels, but which we were not bound to give (as the Church of Rome will not say that we are) by any express divine law; and therefore it is no sin against God not to do it; and when this neglect is not owing to any designed contempt and disregard of those excellent spirits, but to a reverence for God, and jealousy for his incommunicable glory, if it were a fault, we need not doubt but that God would pardon it, and that all good spirits, who have such a profound veneration for God, will easily excuse the neglect of some ceremonies to themselves upon so great a reason. But if the Church of Rome be mistaken, and gives that worship to creatures which is due only to the supreme God, they have nothing to pretend in excuse of it; neither any positive law of God, which expressly forbids all creature worship (as I doubt not to prove, to the satisfaction of all impartial readers), nor the principles of natural reason; which, whatever apologies it may make for the worship of saints and angels, can never prove the necessity of it; and it highly concerns the Church of Rome, and all of her communion, to consider, whether if their distinctions and little appearances of reason cannot justify their worship of creatures, they will be able to excuse them from the guilt of so great a sin. But not to insist on these things now; I shall divide this discourse into three parts. 1. I shall prove from the plain evidence of Scripture, that God alone is to be worshipped. 2. I shall examine what that worship is, which is proper and peculiar to the supreme God. 3. I shall consider those distinctions, whereby the Church of Rome justifies her worship of saints and angels, and images, &c. SECT. I. That God alone is to be worshipped. To make good the first point, that we must worship no other being, but only God, I shall principally confine myself to Scripture evidence, which is the most certain authority to |