in the gofpel, or can they produce the leaft proof and evidence out of the hiftory of the Acts and the epiftles of the Apoftles, that St. Peter was acknowledged for fuch by the rest of the Apoftles? Nay, is there not clear evidence there to the contrary; that, in the firft council of the Chriftian church at Jerufalem, St. James, the Bifhop of Jerufalem, was, if not fuperior, at least equal to him? Does St. Paul acknowledge any fuperiority of St. Peter over him? Nay, does he not, upon feveral occafions, declare himself equal to the chiefeft Apostles, even to St. Peter himfelf? And is this confiftent with a plain conftitution of our Lord's making St. Peter supreme head and pastor of the Chriftian church?

But fuppofe this to have been fo, where doth it appear, by any conftitution of our Saviour, that this authority was derived to his fucceffors? And if it were, why to his fucceffors at Rome, rather than at Antioch, where he was firft and unquestionably Bifhop? They muft acknowledge, that when he was Bishop of Antioch, he was the fupreme head and paftor of the whole Chriftian church; and then the ftyle must have been, the Antiochian Catholick church, as it is now the Roman Catholick. But do they find any footsteps of fuch a style in ecclefiaftical hiftory?

2dly, To make good this propofition, That the Roman church is the catholick church, they are, in confequence, obliged to affirm and believe, that the churches of Afia, which were excommunicated by the Bifhops of Rome, for not keeping Eafter as they did, and the churches of Afia and Africa, which were excommunicated by the fame Bishop, upon the point of rebaptizing hereticks; that all these, by being turned out of the communion of the Roman church, were alfo cut off from the catholick church, and from a poffibility of falvation. This the church of Rome themselves will not affirm; and yet, if to be caft out of the communion of the Roman, and the catholick church, be all one, they must affirm it.

3dly, In confequence of this propofition, That the church of Rome is the catholick church, they ought to hold, that all baptifm out of the communion of their church is void, and of none effect. For if it be good, then it makes the perfons baptized members of the ca

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tholick church; and then those that are out of the communion of the Roman church, may be true members of the catholick church; and then the Roman and the catholick church are not all one. But the church of Rome holds the baptifm of hereticks, and of those that are out of the communion of their church, to be good; which is a demonstration, that the Roman church neither is the catholick church, nor, if he believe confiftently, can fhe think herfelf to be fo.

4thly, In confequence of this propofition, all the Christians in the world which do not yield fubjection to the Bishop of Rome, and acknowledge his fupremacy, are no true parts of the catholick church, nor in a poffibility of falvation. And this does not only exclude thofe of the reformed religion from being members of the catholick church, but the Greeks, and the Eastern churches, i. e. four of the five Patriarchal churches of the Chriftian world; which taken together, are really greater than thofe in communion with the church of Rome. And this the church of Rome does affirm concerning all thofe churches and Chriftians which refufe fubjection to the Bishop of Rome, that they are out of the communion of the catholick church, and a capacity of falvation. But furely it is not poffible, that the true catholick church of Chrift can have fo little charity as this comes to and to a wife man there needs no other demonstration than this, that the church of Rome is fo far from being the whole Chriftian church, that it is a very arrogant and uncharitable part of it.

5thly, and lastly, In confequence of the truth of this propofition, and of the importance of it to the falvation of fouls, and to the peace and unity of the Christian church, they ought to produce exprefs mention of the Roman Catholick church, in the ancient creeds of the Christian church. For if this propofition, That the Roman church is the catholick, be true, it was always fo, and always of the greatest importance to the falvation of men, and the peace and unity of the Christian church: and if it were fo, and always believed to be fo by the Christian church, as they pretend, what reafon can be imagined, why the ancient Chriftian church fhould never fay fo, nor put an article of fuch confequence and import

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ance in exprefs words in their creeds; nor why they fhould not have used the style of Roman Catholick as familiarly then, as they do now in the Roman church? A plain evidence that this is a new ftyle which they use, when they give themselves the title of the Roman Catholick church; and that the ancient Chriftian church knew better, than to call one part of the catholick church the whole. I am fure, that Æneas Sylvius, who was afterwards Pope Pius II. fays, that, before the council of Nice, little refpect was had to the Roman church. But how does this confift with their prefent pretence, that the Roman church is, and always hath been the cathotick church; and that the Bishop of Rome is, by Christ's appointment, the fupreme paftor and vifible head of the whole Chriftian church? Is it poffible that this fhould be believed in the Christian church before the council of Nice, and yet little refpect to be had at that time to the Roman church? This indeed was faid by Æneas Sylvius before he fat in the infallible chair; but is never the lefs true for that.

5. The next step of their method is, That the Roman church is infallible: and by this means they have a certain remedy against herefy, and a judge of controverfies from which there is no appeal, which we want in our church. And this is a glorious privilege indeed, if they could prove that they had it, and that it would be fo certain a remedy against herefy, and give a final decifion to all controverfies. But there is not one tittle of all this of which they are able to give any tenible proof. For,

If, All the pretence for their infallibility relies upon the truth of the former propofition, That the church of Rome is the catholick church; and that, they fay, is infallible. And I have already fhewn, that that propofition is not only deftitute of any good proof, but is as evidently falfe, as that a part of a thing is the whole.

2dly, But fuppofing it were true, that the Roman church were the catholick church; yet it is neither evident in itself, nor can be proved by them, that the catholick church of every age is infallible in deciding all controversies of religion. It is granted by all Chriftians, that our Saviour and his Apoftles were infallible in

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the delivery of the Chriftian doctrine; and they proved their infallibility by miracles. And this was neceffary at first, for the fecurity of our faith. But this doctrine being once delivered and tranfmitted down to us in the holy fcriptures, written by the Evangelifts and Apoftles, who were infallibly affifted by the Holy Ghoft; we have now a certain and infallible rule of faith and practice, which, with the affiftance and inftruction of thofe guides and paftors which Chrift hath appointed in his church, is fufficiently plain in all things neceffary. And as there is no evidence of the continuance of infallibility in the guides and pastors of the church in the ages which followed the Apoftles, becaufe miracles are long fince ceased; so there is no need of the continuance of it, for the prefervation of the true faith and religion; becaufe God hath fufficiently provided for that, by that infallible rule of faith and manners which he hath left to his church in the holy fcriptures, which are every way fufficient and able to make both paftors and people wife unto falvation.

3dly, As for a certain remedy against herefy, it is certain God never intended there fhould be any, no more than he hath provided a certain remedy against fin and vice; which furely is every whit as contrary to the Chriftian religion, and therefore as fit to be provided against as herefy. But it is certain in experience, that God hath provided no certain and effectual remedy against fin and vice; for which I can give no other reason, but that God does that which he thinks beft and fitteft, and not what we are apt to think to be fo.

Befides that infallibility is not a certain remedy against herefy. The Apoftles were certainly infallible; and yet they could neither prevent nor extinguish herefy; which never more abounded than in the Apoftles times. And St. Paul exprefsly tells us, 1 Cor. xi. 19. that there must be herefies, that they which are approved, may be made manifeft. And St. Peter, 2 epist. ii. 1. 2. that there should be falfe teachers among Chriftians, who should privily bring in damnable berefies; and that many fhould follow their pernicious ways. But now, if there must be herefies, either the church muft not be infallible, or infallibility in the church is no certain remedy against them.

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I proceed to the next step they make, viz.

6. That Chrift hath always a visible church upon earth; and that they can fhew a church, which, from the time of Christ and his Apoftles, hath always made a vifible profeffion of the fame doctrines and practices which are now believed and practifed in the church of Rome; but that we can fhew no vifible church, that, from the time of Christ and his Apoftles, hath always oppofed the church of Rome in those doctrines and practices wich we now revile and find fault with in their church.

That Christ hath always had, and ever fhall have, to the end of the world, a vifible church, profeffing and practising his true faith and religion, is agreed on both fides. But we fay, that he hath no where promised, that this fhall be free from all errors and corruptions in faith and practice. This the churches planted by the Apostles themselves were not, even in their times, and during their abode amongst them; and yet they were true parts of the Chriftian catholick church. In the following ages, errors, and corruptions, and fuperftitions, did by degrees creep in, and grow up in feveral parts of the church; as St. Austin, and other of the fathers, complain of in their times. Since that, feveral famous parts of the Christian church, both in Afia and Africa, have not only been greatly corrupted, but have apostatized from the faith; fo that in many places there are hardly any footsteps of Christianity among them. But yet still Chrift hath had in all these ages a visible church upon earth; though perhaps no part of it at all times free from fome errors and corruptions; and in feveral parts of it great corruptions both in faith and practice; and in none I think more and longer than in the church of Rome, for all fhe boafts herself, like old Babylon, If. xlvii. 7. 8. that he is a lady for ever; and fays in her heart, I am, and none elfe befides me; and, like the church of Laodicea, Rev. iii. 17. which faid, I am rich, and increafed with goods, and have need of nothing; when the Spirit of God faith, that he was wretched, and miferable, and poor, and blind, and naked; and knew it not.

Thus the church of Rome boasts, that she hath in all ages been the true visible church of Chrift, and none befides her, free from all errors in doctrine, and corrupti

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