After the death of Luther, his disciples, and especially Melancton, took care to insert the conference in the collection of Luther's works, printed in Latin at Wittemberg, and the writers of the Luthern and Calvinistic party agree, that it was certainly the production of Luther.[K] (Hospinian, par. 2. Hist. Sacramentariæ, p. 26, et. p. 131.)
Now Luther either had or had not this conference with the master of lies. If he really had, Luther ought to have known, that such a master was not very likely, to teach him anything very good, and that he was not a very fit person, to convince him of the idolatry of the mass. For if the mass, had really been idolatry, I think the devil, would rather have encouraged, than tried to overturn it. But if Luther had not this conference, then the ambition of Luther, for having wished to appear connected with so bad a master, indicates so strange and exotic a genius, so depraved and bad a taste, that it reflects almost as much dishonour on Luther, as if this conference had really taken place.
You will perhaps object "that Luther is nothing to us." Most Reverend Gentlemen, I have not quoted him to insult you, or to throw any disrespect on you; for you are certainly not to be answerable for Luther's deeds. But I have quoted him to let you see, what kind of a genius, this father of the Reformation was, and I must now candidly ask, if you think he was a fit person, to reform Christ's Church. Had he indeed begun, by endeavouring to reform the devil himself, we might have pardoned his religious enthusiasm; but for him to tell us, that the infallible Church of Christ, had fallen into error, and that he had come to reform it, under the instructions, and guidance of the master of lies, is really most outrageous, and cannot be equalled by any thing, that I have either heard, or read on this side the grave. That the human mind, should be capable of falling into such dreadful delusion, would appear almost incredible, had not the Holy Ghost assured us, that God abandons to a reprobate sense, those who wish to change truth into falsehood. (Romans i. 25-26.)
Zuinglius, another bright son of the Reformation, professes to have learnt his main argument against the Real Presence from a spirit, which appeared to him in the night, but whether it was a black, or white spirit he does not remember. However, he made great account, of this nightly instruction of his unknown friend; read the place of Exodus, which had been pointed out to him by his unknown friend, and afterwards preached before the whole congregation, on the subject of this wonderful discovery. (Hosp. ii. p. 25-26.) Luther was positive and sure, that the devil, whom Œcolampadius, (another reformer,) employed, strangled him during the night in his bed. "This is the excellent master," continues Luther, "who taught Œcolampadius that there are contradictions in the Scripture. See," says Luther, "to what satan brings learned men." (De Miss. Priv. Luth.)
Such were the nocturnal revelations, with which some of the first reformers were honoured, and I think now, you will not be surprised at the following character, which is given them, and the other reformers, even by Protestant testimony. Zanchius, the celebrated Protestant professor, thus complains of the conduct of his reforming Protestant colleagues: "I am indignant, when I consider the manner, in which most of us defend our cause. The true state of the question we often, on set purpose, involve in darkness, that it may not be understood; we have the impudence, to deny things the most evident: we assert what is visibly false: the most impious doctrines, we force on the people as the first principles of faith, and orthodox (true) opinions, we condemn as heretical: we torture the Scriptures, until they agree with our own fancies, and boast of being the disciples of the fathers, while we refuse to follow their doctrines: to deceive, to calumniate, to abuse, is our familiar practice: nor do we care for anything, provided we can defend our cause, good or bad, right or wrong. Oh what times! what manners! (Zanchius ad Stormium, tome viii. col. 828.)
"But forgery—I blush for the honour of Protestantism while I write it—seems to have been peculiar to the reformed * * * and I look in vain, for one of these accursed outrages of imposition, among the disciples of Popery." "But forgery, appears to have been the peculiar disease of Protestantism."—(Vindication of Mary, Queen of Scots, vol. iii. p. 2 and 53. By the Rev. John Whitaker, B.D., Rector of Ruan Langhorne, Cornwall.)
You have now seen, who was the instructor of some of the first Reformers, and the two above passages (mind, from Protestants,) must convince you, that they and their reforming Protestant colleagues, appear to have been apt scholars of this master of lies. Well, I have shown you now, the character of the spiritual chemists of the Reformation. I will now show you, some of the wonderful spiritual works, of some of their supernatural, and chemical hands.
Among these, I must rank as first and foremost, the wonderful spiritual deeds, of your Scriptural Church as by Law established. Most Reverend Gentlemen, The Thirty-nine Articles, are the fundamental Articles of your Protestant Creed. Now, in the Thirty-fifth of those Articles, I find, that your Scriptural Church professes to believe, in the Protestant homilies there named. Among which I find the second is, "against peril of idolatry." Now, the following, are the words of your Protestant homily against idolatry. Its words are these: "The preaching of God's word, most sincere in the beginning, by process of time became less and less pure, and afterwards corrupt, and last of all, altogether laid down and left off, &c. Not only the unlearned and simple, but the learned and wise; not the people only, but the bishops; not the sheep, but also the shepherds themselves, being blinded by the bewitchery of images, as blind guides of the blind, fell both into the pit of damnable idolatry; in which all the world, as it were drowned, continued unto our age for the space of eight hundred years; unspoken against in a manner, so that laity and clergy, learned and unlearned, of all ages and sexes and degrees, of men and women and children of whole Christendom, (an horrible thing to think,) have been at once drowned in abominable idolatry, of all other vices most detested by God, and damnable to men, and that for the space of eight hundred years together. And to this end has come that beginning of setting up of images in churches, then judged harmless, in experience proved not only harmful, but exitious and pestilential, and to the destruction of all good religion universally." Thus far, your Protestant homily.
Really, most Reverend Gentlemen, if in my comments on the above passage, I have often to use the word damnable, you must really pardon me, for you see, I have just been taught this pretty word, by your Scriptural Church, and you know, she is master in Israel. Pray, most Reverend Gentlemen, where was your Protestant Scriptural Church, during this eight hundred years of damnable idolatry? If it was a member of no Church, then, it was not a member, or part of Christ's Church. But if it was a member, or part of any one Church in all Christendom, then, it was utterly drowned in abominable, and damnable idolatry. I wonder how your Scriptural Church, can extricate herself out of this spiritual labyrinth.
Well, then, here we have, according to your Scriptural Church, a universal apostacy. The true Church decayed, the whole of Christendom drowned in damnable idolatry, and all good religion destroyed universally, and that, for eight hundred years; and we have also your Scriptural Church either not existing, or buried in this universal spiritual destruction. Really, your Scriptural Church, Sampson-like, not only demolished the whole spiritual fabric of Christendom, but also perished herself under the ruins of this universal spiritual destruction; but the strangest thing of all is, whilst with one hand, she was endeavouring with her spiritual power, to hurl the Catholic Church, into the vortex of this universal spiritual destruction, she, with the other hand, charitably saves us Catholics (as Moses was saved from the waters) from this deluge of universal spiritual idolatry; and I will now show you how; for your Scriptural Church, in her sixth article of the Thirty-nine Articles, teaches that, "Holy Scripture containeth all things necessary to salvation." Now, this very Scripture, (the book of salvation,) declares (as I have already shown in my above description of the Catholic Church,) that, the Catholic Church should never err, and of course, could never fall into idolatry. And, therefore, in obedience to your Scriptural Church, and to the Scripture itself, we believe that the Catholic Church, never has fallen, and never will fall into idolatry. For the Scripture says, "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but God's word, shall not pass away." Really, your Scriptural Church, is very kind to us in this respect, and I almost begin to think, she must be a worthy descendant of Pharo's daughter, who saved Moses from the waters of the Nile.