cerning which 'tis faid; Mat. 5. 18. one jot or one title fhall not fail) is that which fhe eftablifht, and that has receiv d to many, and yet according to the confeffion of the infallible Corrector, wants ftill more alterations. 8. DEPENDENT upon this, and as great a mischief as any of the former, confequent to the with-drawing of the Scripture, I take to be the step it made to the overthrow of the ancient and most useful discipline of the Church in point of Penance, whofe rigors alwaies heretofore preceded the poffibility of having abfolution. Now of this we know a folemn part was the state of Audience, when the lapft person was receiv'd, after long attendance without doors, proftrations, and lamentations there, within the entrance of the Church; and was permitted with the Catechumens or Candidates of Baptism, to hear the readings of the Scripture, and stay till Praier began, but then depart. He was ob lig'd to hear the terrors of the Lord, the threats of the divine Law against fin and finners, to ftand among the unbaptiz'd and heathen multitude, and learn again the clements of that holy Faith from which he had prevaricated; and fo in time be render'd capable of the devotions of the faithful, and afterward of the reception of the Eucharift. But when the Scriptures were thought useless or dangerous to be understood and heard, it was was confequent that the ftate of Audience fhould be cut off from Penance, and that the next to it, upon the felf-fame principle fhould be difmift: and fo the long probation formerly requir'd fhould be fupplanted: and the compendious way of pardoning firft, and repenting afterwards, the endless circle of finning and being abfolv'd, and then finning and being abfolv'd again, fhould prevail upon the Church. Which still obtains, notwithstanding the complaints, and irrefragable demon ftrations of learned men even of the Romish Communion, who plainly fhew this now receiv'd method, to be an innovation groundlefs and unreasonable, and most pernicious in its confequents. 9. AND, by the way, we may take notice that there cannot be a plainer evidence of the judgement of the Church, concerning the neceffity of the Scriptures being known, not only by the learned but mean Chriftian, and the intereft they have therein, than is the ancient courfe of Penance, establisht by the practice of all the firft Ages, and almoft as many Councils, whether general or local, as have decreed any thing concerning difcipline, with the penitentiary Books and Canons, which are written for the firft eleven hundred years in the whole Christian world, For if even the unbaptiz'd Catechumen, and the lapft finner, notwithstanding their flen A a 2 der der knowledge in the myfteries of Faith, or frail pretence to the privilege thereof, had a right to the state of Audience, and was oblig'd to hear the Scripture read; furely the meaneft unobnoxious Laick, was in as advantageous circumstances, and might not only be trufted with the reading of those facred Books, but might claim them as his birthright. 10. I may juftly, over and above what has bin hitherto alleg'd, impute to the Governors of the fame Church, and their withholding from the Laity the holy Scripture, the many dangerous errors, grofs ignorances, and scandalous immoralities which have prevail'd among them both. It is no new method of divine vengeance, that there should be like people, like Prieft, Hof. 4. 9. and that the Idle Shepherd who led his flock into the ditch, Should fall therein himself, Mat. 15. 14. And as the Prophet Zachary defcribes it, c. 11. 17. The fword fhall be upon his arm, and upon his right eie: his arm fhall be clean dried up, and his right eie fhall be utterly darkned. II. BUT no confequence can be more obviously deducible from that practice, than that men fhould juftify the with-holding of the Scripture by leffening its credit, and depreciating its worth: which has occafion'd thofe reproches which by the writers of the Church of Rome, of beft note, have bin caft upon upon it. As that it was a Nofe of wax, a leaden rule, a deaf and useless deputy to God in the of fice of a judge; of less autority than the Roman Church, and of no more credit than Efops Fables, but for the teftimony of the faid Church; that they contain things apt to raise laughter or indignation, that the Latin Tranflation in the Complutenfian Bible is placed between the Hebrew Text, and the Septuagint Verfion, as our Savior was at his Crucifixion between two thieves ; and that the vulgar Edition is of fuch autority that the Originals ought to be mended by it, rather than it should be mended from them: which are the complements of Cardinal Bellarmin Hofus, Eckius, Perron, Ximines, Coqueus, and others of that Communion: words to be answer'd by a Thunderbolt, and fitter for the mouth of a Celfus or a Porphyrie, than of the pious fons, and zealous Champions of the Church of Chrift. 12. Tis to be expected that the Romanists should now wipe their mouths, and plead not guilty; telling us that they permit the Scripture to the Laity in their mother Tongue: And to that purpose the Fathers of Rhemes and Domay have publisht an English Bible for thofe of their Communion. I fhall therefore give a fhort and plain account of the whole affair, as really it ftands, and then on Gods name let the Romanifts make the best of their Apology. 13. THE 13. THE fourth rule of the Index of prohibited Books compos'd upon the command and aufpice of the Council of Trent and publifh'd by the Autority of Pius the fourth, Sixtus the fifth, and Clement the eighth, runs thus: Since 'tis manifeft by experience, that if the holy Bible be fufferd promifcuously in the vulgar Tongue, fuch is the temerity of men, that greater detriment than advantage will thence arife; in this matter let the judgement of the Bishop or Inquifitor be ftood to: that with the advice of the Curate or Confeffor, they may give leave for the reading of the Bible in the vulgar Tongue, tranflated by Catholicks, to fuch as they know will not receive damage, but increase of Faith and Piety thereby. Which faculty they hall have in writing; and whosoever without fuch faculty fhall prefume to have or to read the Bible, he shall not till he have deliver'd it up, receive abfolution of his fins. Now (to pafs over the iniquity of ob liging men to ask leave to do that which God Almighty commands) when tis confider'd how few of the Laity can make means to the Bishop or Inquifitor, or convince them, or the Curate or Confeffor, that they are fuch who will not receive damage, but increase of Faith and Piety by the reading of the Scripture; and alfo have intereft to prevail with them for their favor herein: and after all, can and will be at the charge of taking out the faculty, which is fo penally requir'd: 'tis t eafy |