The practical divinity of the papists discovered to be destructive of Christianity and mens…

Sect. 2. No more is needful to manifest that the practical part of Popery (however it hath passed for more harmless than the other more insisted on) is destructive to the souls of men. It leads them out of the way of salvation, if real Christianity be the way. It obliges them to neglect as needless not only the lesser, but the principal parts of that way, without which Heaven is altogether inaccessible, They that have discovered another Hell, may as well fancy another Heaven: but they way to that Heaven, which Christ hath prepared for his people, lies through the knowledge of Christ, Love to him, Faith in him, that Repentance from dead works, and exercise of Christian virtues, that Mortification of sin, Holiness of life, and real Worshipping of God; which by this doctrine is abandoned as unnecessary. It tempts them into the way of destruction, encourages them in such practice of wickedness as Christ hath declared to be the broad way. It promises safety therein, and hides the danger from their eyes; it covers the pits (whose descent is into that which is bottomless) with Spiders webs, and persuades them it is firm ground. It leaves them no sense, nor notice of many sins; no Conscience of far the most; no fear of any, no not of the worst, such as themselves call deadly crimes. It gives as much security to such wickedness, as a heart that has sold it self to it, need wish. For what need he desire more than assurance, that after a whole life spent therein, there is a very easy way for him to be saved, so easy that he need not trouble himself so much as truly to repent? Such grace as any Priest can help a Sinner to (an impenitent Sinner) at last gasp, will bring him to Heaven, though he never once thought of the way to it all his life.

Sect. 2. No more is needful to manifest that the practical part of Popery (however it hath passed for more harmless than the other more insisted on) is destructive to the souls of men. It leads them out of the way of salvation, if real Christianity be the way. It obliges them to neglect as needless not only the lesser, but the principal parts of that way, without which Heaven is altogether inaccessible, They that have discovered another Hell, may as well fancy another Heaven: but they way to that Heaven, which Christ hath prepared for his people, lyes through the knowledge of Christ, Love to him, Faith in him, that Repentance from dead works, and exercise of Christian vertues, that Mortification of sin, Holiness of life, and real Worshipping of God; which by this doctrine is abandoned as unnecessary. It tempts them into the way of destruction, incourages them in such practice of wickedness as Christ hath declared to be the broad way. It promises safety therein, and hides the danger from their eyes; it covers the pits (whose descent is into that which is bottomless) with Spiders webbs, and perswades them it is firm ground. It leaves them no sense, nor notice of many sins; no Conscience of far the most; no fear of any, no not of the worst, such as themselves call deadly crimes. It gives as much security to such wickedness, as a heart that has sold it self to it, need wish. For what need he desire more than assurance, that after a whole life spent therein, there is a very easie way for him to be saved, so easie that he need not trouble himself so much as truly to repent? Such grace as any Priest can help a Sinner to (an impenitent Sinner) at last gasp, will bring him to Heaven, though he never once thought of the way to it all his life.