throned among the Graces of Religion: For if we look into the Hiftory of the Roman Church, we fhall find Perfecution first Preached from the Infallible Chair; the Popes whereof growing great, and proud, and impatient of Contradiction, began first to murmur against the Tole rations of the Novatians, which being a great Eye-fore to thofe haughty Prelates, as foon as they had gotten Power into their Hands, they rooted them out by Force and Vio lence, but yet they had not so far abandoned all their natural sense of Mercy and Goodness, as to proceed to bloodshed, till the Divine Right of Fire and Faggot was invented by St. Dominick, that rabid and furious Incendiary, by whose Instigation the Albigenfes were wafted by a dreadful War, and 180 of them burnt to Death, because they would not abjure their Religion: Which horrid Antinin. Butchery was acted by the Commif fion of Pope Innocent the third, who Tit. 19. to encourage it, granted a plenary Pardon and Indulgence to the Executioners, and now like Lybian Tygers, having tasted Blood, they thirst infa

pars 5.

cap. 1.

iably for more; and instead of Pastors turn Butchers to the Flock of Christ, by their repeated Cruelties, converting that Church into an infamous Slaughter-house of Chriftians, which was once fo famous a Seminary of Martyrs; and for these 600 Years, bleeding hath been the only Remedy thofe Spiritual Mountebanks have prescribed to cure the Diseased Church; and this hath been cryed up as their great Catholicon; witness the infinite Slaughters they have acted and instigated in Italy, Bohemia, the upper and lower Germany: Witness the Spanish Inquifition, where the Holy Fathers confute Hereticks with Racks and Gibbets; witness the Parifian Maffacre, where our Religion was confuted only with Skenes, and Daggers; witness the Marian Days, wherein the Roman Faith was defended fo gloriously against all Arguments, with only that Dreadful Text, Recant or Burn: And if all this be not enough, witness that Horrid Powder Plot, the Prevention of which we now Commemorate; a Villany fo Foul and Monftrous, as was never Parallell'd either in Fiction or HistoE

ry

ry; and compared with which, the moft Tragick Scenes of Melancholy Poets, and difmal Phantafms of Defpairing Souls, are but all Comick Tales, Subjects of Sport and Laughter: A Tragedy fo deep and bloody, that certainly had the most barbarous Cannibal in America been hired to act it, the very Thought of it must have ftartled him into an Agony; and he could not but have relented, confidering thus with himfelf; I am now giving Fire to a Train, which at one Blow will ruin a whole Kingdom, tear in pieces its King and Princes, and scatter their Members in the Air, ftrew its Fields with the Limbs and Quarters of its flaughtered Nobles and Gentry, fill its Streets with the Threns and Lamentations of woful Mothers, the Shrieks and Out-cryes of defolate Wives and Children, fhake its goodly Temples, and Royal Palaces into Ruins, and in one Moment lay all its Glory in the Duft: And yet [O tell it not in Gath, publish it not in the Streets of Askalon!] All thefe Cruelties were defigned under the Livery of the most merciful Jefus, and this Cannibals Feast of FellowChristians

Christians Blood prepared to entertain the Father of Mercies, and the Prince of Love; as if they like the Heathens Dæmons, fed their hungry Noftrils with the Niderous Reeks and Steams of humane Sacrifices: Thus by Degrees you fee Perfecution is imbodyed into the Romish Religion; and when Herefie is the Disease, Ruin is the only Remedy: A fure one indeed; but O how heavenly wide of thofe mild Prescriptions of the great Phyfician of Souls! Who being urged by his own Difciples to revenge himself upon a Company of rude and obftinate Schifmaticks, folemnly profeffes, that he came not to deftroy Mens Lives, but to fave them. The Occafion of which Words was an Affront which the Samaritans had offered to our bleffed Saviour; who be ing notorious Schifmaticks, and profeffed Enemies to the Jews that worfhipped at Jerufalem, refused to entertain our Saviour for one Night, perceiving he was a Jew, and fo of a contrary Religion to themselves; upon which James and John moved with great Indignation to see their bleffed Mafter fo unworthily treated, request

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request him, that after the Example of Elias, they might call for Fire from Heaven to destroy them: But he no way approving their Motion,feverely rebukes them for it, and plainly tells them, that they knew not what Spirit they were of; as much as if he should have faid; if you will needs imitate that Legal zelotick Spirit Elias acted by, whatever you pretend, you act not like my Difciples, whofe Spirit and Genius ought to be more tender and merciful; and therefore, though these Samaritans are of a different Sect and Religion, and will not embrace me nor my Doctrine; yet far be it from me to deftroy them; for this is quite contrary both to my Temper, and the Defign of my coming, which is not to destroy Mens Lives, but to fave them. So that you fee the plain Scope of the Words is this; That to destroy Mens Lives upon the Score of Religion, is a Practice contrary to the Spirit of Christ, and the Design of his Religion. Before I proceed to the Proof of this Propofition, I fhall briefly endeavour to state, and restrain it within its juft Bounds and Limits: And they are these four.