Romes cruelty & apostasyRomes cruelty & apostacie

4. That mental Reservations and Equivocations are ⟨p. 6⟩lawful; This also must needs overthrow state constitutions, though adamantine, for seeing that truth and words they are the sinews and ligaments of the body politic, if these be cut and dissolved, how can the body stand? What delusions of Magistrates? What evasions of righteous judgements? What ensnaring of innocent men? what doubling in oaths will there be by this means? How can an oath be an end of a controversy if this be allowed? O ye holy Martyrs lay aside your glorious Robes of immortality, you died like fools, and were guilty of your own blood, when as you might have denied, and forsworn all by mental Reservations. Aquinas saith well, That an oath is for practicals, what first Principles are for speculatives; and as any conclusion will easily be granted, which shineth by the light of the first principles; so that fact must be submitted to, which is confirmed by an oath. But by this doctrine, first Principles in societies are quite extinguished. It is true, there are some Papists, that do write against these Jesuitical assertions; but they are not considerable, nor doth the Pope of Rome look upon such as his abettors. How doth the moral honesty of Heathens exceed their piety, for Tully doth relate among the examples malae fidei, that fact of a soldier, prisoner, who by Hannibals permission had leave to go out upon his oath, that he would return again, and he returneth presently, pretending he had forgot something, and so by this, thought himself freed from his oath.

4. That mentall Reservations and Equivocations are ⟨p. 6⟩lawfull; This also must needs overthrow state constitutions, though adamantine, for seeing that truth and words they are the sinewes and ligaments of the body politicke, if these be cut and dissolved, how can the body stand? What delusions of Magistrates? What evasions of righteous judgements? What insnaring of innocent men? what doubling in oathes will there be by this meanes? How can an oath be an end of a controversie if this be allowed? O ye holy Martyrs lay aside your glorious Robes of immortality, you died like fooles, and were guilty of your owne bloud, when as you might have denyed, and forsworne all by mentall Reservations. Aquinas saith well, That an oath is for practicals, what first Principles are for speculatives; and as any conclusion will easily be granted, which shineth by the light of the first principles; so that fact must be submitted to, which is confirmed by an oath. But by this doctrine, first Principles in societies are quite extinguished. It is true, there are some Papists, that doe write against these Jesuiticall assertions; but they are not considerable, nor doth the Pope of Rome looke upon such as his abettors. How doth the morall honesty of Heathens exceed their piety, for Tully doth relate among the examples malae fidei, that fact of a souldier, prisoner, who by Hannibals permission had leave to goe out upon his oath, that he would returne againe, and he returneth presently, pretending he had forgot something, and so by this, thought himselfe freed from his oath.