But the Papists hold, that a man may by his works merit or deserve eternal life; and that we are justified, not by faith in Christ alone, but by faith and works together.
This doctrine strikes at the root of Christian faith, the only foundation of true religion.
6. Secondly, the doctrine of praying to saints and worshipping of images. To the Virgin Mary they pray in these words; “O mother of God, O queen of heaven, command thy Son to have mercy upon us.” And, “the right use of images” (says the Council of Trent) “is to honour them, by bowing down before them.” Session 25. Paragraph 2.
This doctrine strikes at the root of that great commandment, (which the Papists call part of the first) Thou shalt not bow down to them, nor worship them, i. e. not any image whatsoever. It is gross, open, palpable idolatry, such as can neither be denied, nor excused; and tends directly to destroy the love of God, which is indeed the first and great commandment.
7. Thirdly, the doctrine of persecution. This has been for many ages a favourite doctrine of the church of Rome. And the Papists in general still maintain, that “all heretics, (that is, all who differ from them) ought to be compelled to receive what they call the true faith; to be forced into the church, or out of the world.”
Now this strikes at the root of, and utterly tears up, the second great commandment. It directly tends to bring in blind, bitter zeal; anger, hatred, malice, variance; every temper, word and work that is just contrary to the loving our neighbour as ourselves.
So plain it is, that these grand Popish doctrines of merit, idolatry and persecution, by destroying both faith and the love of God and of our neighbour, tend to banish true Christianity out of the world.
8. Well might our forefathers protest against these: and hence it was that they were called Protestants: even because they publicly protested, as against all the errors of the Papists, so against these three in particular: the making void Christian faith, by holding that man may merit heaven by his own works; the overthrowing the love of God by idolatry, and the love of our neighbour by persecution.
Are you then a Protestant, truly so called? Do you protest, as against all the rest, so in particular, against these three grand, fundamental errors of Popery? Do you publicly protest against all merit in man? All salvation by your own works? Against all idolatry of every sort? And against every kind and degree of persecution?
I question not but you do. You publicly protest against all these horrible errors of Popery. But does your heart agree with your lips? Do you not inwardly cherish what you outwardly renounce? ’Tis well, if you, who cry out so much against Papists, are not one yourself. ’Tis well if you are not yourself (as little as you may think of it) a rank Papist in your heart.