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Article JOHN COUSTOS, FOR FREEMASONRY, ← Page 2 of 5 →
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John Coustos, For Freemasonry,
friars to me , who ( they said ) would instruct me , and so full y open my eyes , that I should have a distinct view of my wretched condition , which ( they declared ) was the more deplorable , as I was wholly insensible of the danger . Finding me still immoveable , and that there was no possibility of their making the least impression on me , the indulgence which they
seemed to shew at the beginning of my examination was suddenlychanged to fury ; venting the most injurious-expressions , calling me heretic , and saying that I was damned . Here I could not forbear replying , that " 1 was no heretic , but could prove , on the contrary , that they themselves were in an error . " And now , raising their voice , " Take care ( cried they with a tone of authority ) what
you say . " " I advance nothing ( replied I ) but what I am able to prove . ' Do you believe ( continued I ) that the words of our Lord Jesus Christ , as found in the New Testament , are true r" They answered in the affirmative . But what inference ( said they ) do you draw from thence . " Be so good ( added I ) as to let me have a Bible , and I will inform you concerning this . " I then laid before
them the passage where our Saviour says thus : " Search the Scriptures , for in them ye think ye have eternal life , and they are they which testify of me . " Likewise the following : " We also have a more sure word of prophecy ; whereunto ye do well that you take heed . " And yet ( says I ) both the Pope and your Lordships forbid the perusal of them ; and thereby act in direct opposition to the express
command of the Saviour of the world . To this the Inquisitors replied , that I ought to call to mind that our Saviour says to St . Peter ( and in his name to all the Popes his successors ) , " I will give unto thee the kingdom of heaven ; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth , shall be bound-in heaven : and whatsoever thou shalt loose on . earth shall be loosed in heaven * . " That none-but a heretic , like myself ,
would dare to dispute the authority and infallibility of the Pope , who is Christ ' s vicar here below : that the reason of not allowing the perusal of this book was , to prevent the common people from explaining the obscure passages contained therein contrary to their true sense , as was daily the practice of schismatics and "heretics like myself . I shall . omit the other controversial points that afterwards occurred , all
which I answered to the best of my slender abilities . One thing I can assure my readers , that the Inquisitors were not able to alter , in any manner , the firm resolution I had taken to live and die a Protestant ; on the contrary , I can affirm , that their remonstrances , and even menaces , served only to strengthen my resistance , and furnish me abundant proofs to refute , with vigour , all the
arguments offered by them . I acknowledge that I owe this wholly to the divine Goodness , which graciously condescended to support me under these violent trials , and enabled me to persevere to the end : for this I return unfeigned thanks to the Almi ghty , and hope to give , during the remainder of my life , convincing testimonies of the strong impression which those trials made on my mind , by devoting myself sincerely to the duties of reli gion .
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
John Coustos, For Freemasonry,
friars to me , who ( they said ) would instruct me , and so full y open my eyes , that I should have a distinct view of my wretched condition , which ( they declared ) was the more deplorable , as I was wholly insensible of the danger . Finding me still immoveable , and that there was no possibility of their making the least impression on me , the indulgence which they
seemed to shew at the beginning of my examination was suddenlychanged to fury ; venting the most injurious-expressions , calling me heretic , and saying that I was damned . Here I could not forbear replying , that " 1 was no heretic , but could prove , on the contrary , that they themselves were in an error . " And now , raising their voice , " Take care ( cried they with a tone of authority ) what
you say . " " I advance nothing ( replied I ) but what I am able to prove . ' Do you believe ( continued I ) that the words of our Lord Jesus Christ , as found in the New Testament , are true r" They answered in the affirmative . But what inference ( said they ) do you draw from thence . " Be so good ( added I ) as to let me have a Bible , and I will inform you concerning this . " I then laid before
them the passage where our Saviour says thus : " Search the Scriptures , for in them ye think ye have eternal life , and they are they which testify of me . " Likewise the following : " We also have a more sure word of prophecy ; whereunto ye do well that you take heed . " And yet ( says I ) both the Pope and your Lordships forbid the perusal of them ; and thereby act in direct opposition to the express
command of the Saviour of the world . To this the Inquisitors replied , that I ought to call to mind that our Saviour says to St . Peter ( and in his name to all the Popes his successors ) , " I will give unto thee the kingdom of heaven ; and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth , shall be bound-in heaven : and whatsoever thou shalt loose on . earth shall be loosed in heaven * . " That none-but a heretic , like myself ,
would dare to dispute the authority and infallibility of the Pope , who is Christ ' s vicar here below : that the reason of not allowing the perusal of this book was , to prevent the common people from explaining the obscure passages contained therein contrary to their true sense , as was daily the practice of schismatics and "heretics like myself . I shall . omit the other controversial points that afterwards occurred , all
which I answered to the best of my slender abilities . One thing I can assure my readers , that the Inquisitors were not able to alter , in any manner , the firm resolution I had taken to live and die a Protestant ; on the contrary , I can affirm , that their remonstrances , and even menaces , served only to strengthen my resistance , and furnish me abundant proofs to refute , with vigour , all the
arguments offered by them . I acknowledge that I owe this wholly to the divine Goodness , which graciously condescended to support me under these violent trials , and enabled me to persevere to the end : for this I return unfeigned thanks to the Almi ghty , and hope to give , during the remainder of my life , convincing testimonies of the strong impression which those trials made on my mind , by devoting myself sincerely to the duties of reli gion .