Luth. & Calu. We have not the leaft fcruple in whatever is contained in the Scriptures, being from our infancy trained to love, fear and respect them; but the space from St. John's Revelations, until Luther and Calvin, which is about 1450 years, feems void of every fupport. This is the fundamental principle that is impreffed into our infant minds, fo we would with never to be in ftructed or have any knowledge of what paft amongst the Papifts during that interval, as we confider the whole to be a fyftem contrived and carried on by the Devil and the Pope.

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Boy. Is it then a truth; To be a proteftant is to be without reafon ?

Mof. I think we agreed upon fome general and effential principles.

Luth. & Calv. The infallibility of the Catholic Religion, the fupremacy of the Pope, and the unity and uniformity of the whole Church,

Boy. These are fundamental principles, in which the Church is founded, and from these principles are the fabric built, from whence flows or iffues her facraments.

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Luth. & Calv. Can you perfuade yourselves that man can forgive fins; we wish to have an explanation.

Boy. Man has no power inherent in himself, but the Catholick priefthood received this power and authority from Jefus Chrift.

Luth. No man that is a Chriftian denies the infallibility of the Catholick Church, which received her doctrine and miffion from Jefus Chrift, on whom the Holy Ghoft on the day of Pentecoft vifibly communicated himself, confirmed and ful

filled the promife of our Meffiah, and muft teach her all truths, and remain with her for ever. This teftimony all Proteftants confirm in retaining and acknowledging the three creeds to be of divine authority, and are to be held in the fame" veneration as the other Scriptures. Had the

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Proteftants rejected the creeds, they muft un doubtedly have given up their chriftianity, for the creeds are framed in few words, to be a key to the whole, that the meanest capacity, as I fuppofe all Chriftians fay them, or at least the Apostles, morning and evening, might examine their faith by her twelve articles; if they fail in one, the whole are forfeited, as the Apoftle St. James declares, Whofoever fhall keep the whole law, but offend in one point, is become guilty of all. And it is proved by our Lord's words in St. Matthew, when the Jews accufed him of working miracles by the power of Satan, that they were guilty of the fin against the Holy Gholt, which fhould never be forgiven either in this or the next life; fo that whatever Chriftian denies one article of the creed, is guilty of this heinous fin. To evade and keep free from this fin, all Proteftants are taught, that the Catholicks, when they forgive fins, do not make use of this infallibility infused by the Holy Ghost, but by the power of Satan, or from themselves; and that the Gentiles becom-' ing Chriftians, mixed their heathenifh and idola trous fuperftition artfully with the Chriflian religion, in its infancy; which innovation, the Proteftants being but as yefterday; cannot come to the knowledge of, or know what they really confift in, as they are authorised and comprised in

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the

the Scriptures, guarded and protected by the promife of Almighty God, and her Creeds, as Peter's keys, held up for us to obey, or incur the fin against the Holy Ghoft, and excommunica

tion.

Boy. You will do well to confider, and pay obedience to him that you think have a right to exact this duty from you; by doiug this you will act with honesty, and remove your fcruples; you will take this with you, that if the Scriptures and Creeds are true, the Church muft; being taught, ruled, guarded, and directed by her God. You are not difputing with man, but with your God.

Mof. I am an Ifraelite, and a Rabbi, and will avow, not for myself alone, but that the whole body of Jews will, prove only Jefus to be the Meffiah, throw ourselves at the feet of his Holinefs, and crave admittance into the Catholick Church. To adore the Head, and the Heart, and hate, deteft and vilify the body, can proceed from no other than the most deteftable of all wretches, the Devil.

Calv. There is no gain-faying thefe Scriptureproofs, neither can we refift the impenetrable rock, which God has erected. O Peter! Filty or more years have 1, with body erect, eyes fixt, and arms ftretched forth, withstood your mild admonitions, perfuading my return, with the prodigal, into our Lord's bofom; but I cafe hardened, tough, and proud, planted my tabernacle on the ftormy waves, toffed to and fro by every wind of doctrine, ever learning, ftill a child; toothless

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fchok:,

fcholar, after a long, vain, and unprofitable fearchr for wildom, in the fchool of folly; feeding on the hufks and excrements of fwine. I find myfelf conftrained; but happy, I fay, thrice-happy constraint! to fuck honey from a white-skulled Jew, and a beardless boy. From the morning-light, even until night, let Ifrael hope in our Lord. As the tree falls, fo it fhall lie. Him that believeth, and is baptized, fhall be faved; but he that believeth not, fhall be condemned. As the Father has fent me, I alfo fend you; when he had faid this, he breathed on them, and faid to them, Receive ye the Holy Ghoft; whofe fins you fhalk forgive, they are forgiven them; and whofe fins you retain, they are retained. Thefe are the words of God, at whofe tribunal we shall be arraigned, both men and devils; and fhall we dare offend our God? Yea, I am the most wretched finner, and despicable, contemptible; fordid, rafh, vile, unmoralized, defective, inconfiftent, abominable, deteftable, undermining, wild, undigefted bit of clay, bedaubed, fmeared, and dreffed in the ftinking rags of unfruitfulness and difobedience; claiming the privilege of virginal inheritance in the mountain of Sion, when I fhould moan out the yellings and fhrieks of hell. Can I dare appear at that dread tribunal of my God, with this pale face of clay, robed in my Merry Andrew's drefs? I fhudder at the thought; my very hairs rile up ftiff, and ftand on end, like a wild Boar, furrounded by a gang of dogs, amazed, expects his fate; fo Calvin; but e're tomorrow's light breaks forth, I will, with the affift

ance

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of my God, put off this Panther's hide, with Calvin's name, and deal out the remains of this difhevelled wreck, in the fchool of penance, pouring out my tears at the altar of my Saviour, reconciling, and joining, with the adorer of fpirit and truth, worshipping with fear and trembling that God who is there immolated for the fins of the world. Against whom I ftood up, Caiphas; Annas, Pontius Pilate, and Herod, with our tribes and congregations, against the Lord, and against his Christ. This is a truth, and I con fefs it with tears (Calvin weeps) and I wish they were tears of blood, for that Saviour that fweated his moft precious blood for us prodigals, and me, 1 repeat it, the most abandoned. Too often have. I repeated to you, my God, that I loved you, when I was ufing every tratagem against your Church, multiplying quotations from Scripture, and making them fkip and leap to my own fancy, in order to perfecute your Church, and ftrengthen Calvinism, and draw the attention and applaufe of the populace to myself, exclaiming against the tyranny of Popery, at the fame time yoking on them a greater, yea the tyranny of Satan. I often have, to make a fhow of religion, placed an offender cloathed in a white fhirt, in the kirk, on the ftool of penance, an hour or two, for three Sundays, or as I thought of it, but would thunder againft the facrament of penance, and whatever was Catholick.

Mof. You Calvin amaze and aftonish me; 1. bave often been in difputes of this nature to dif play our talents, but never met with your like.

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