|
“ Great Sermon! ”
The Westminster divine, Daniel Cawdrey, reminds us of what early Protestant and Reformed theologians thought of the Jesuits:
[…] Papists, home-born Papists, who are vipers that most unnaturally have endeavoured to eat through their mother’s bowels. Not their nature only, but their Religion also, teaches and allows them for the Good of the Catholic cause, falsely so called, not to spare their own native Country, their own kindred, Brothers, Fathers, no not of their own Religion. To blow up Parliaments, to ruin Cities, Countries, Kingdoms, is their ordinary work. Especially of those, whom they call Jesuits, the Bellows of Hell, the Incendiaries of Christendom, at this day. The Curse of God is upon them fearfully for arrogating their Name from Jesus, which signifies a Saviour, and is impropriated to the Son of God: Thou shalt call his name Jesus. These men, that call themselves Jesuits, are, by the just judgement of God upon them, Destroyers of Cities, Countries, Kingdoms, and might far better take their name from him, who is called in Hebrew Abaddon, and in Greek Apollon, but signifying a Destroyer. Revel. 9. 11.
Daniel Cawdrey, The good man a public good. A sermon preached to the honourable House of Commons, at the late solemn fast: January 31, 1643 (London, 1643), pp |
