without any Caufe or Provocation, for which Perfidy they fill'd up the Measure of their Iniquity, were delivered into the Hands of Turks and Barbarians, and do groan under the Tyrany and Slavery of thefe Infidels to this very Day; yet for as much as neither Hereticks nor Schifmaticks are, nor can be Members of the Church of Chrift, while they perfift in their Herefy or Schifm; and that all thofe, who joined with the faid Marcus in his Subtraction from fo great, and fo lawful an Authority, and in denying the Points of Faith defined and decreed by the fame, are fuch: It is evident that all the reft, who profefs this Faith, and continue in the Communion of the See of Rome, make up the whole Catholick-Church of Chrift. Now that this Catholick Church is infallible in deter mining Matters of Faith, I fhall endeavour to fhew, in the fecond Place...

I had faid before, that to follow an Infallible Guide, is the fureft Way to come to our Journey's End; or (which is the fame thing) to walk in the Path which the Catholick- Church chalks out for us, is the only fure Way to arrive at the Kingdom of Heaven. To prove, then that the Congregation of the Faithful, which was in Communion with the See of Rome, at the Time of the Council of Florence; and by Confequence the Congregation of the Faithful now in Communion with it, fince they both hold the fame Faith without any Addition or Diminution; has often repeated Promises of the Divine Affiftance from the Mouth of our Saviour Jefus Chrift, to guide it into all Truth: That is, that the Chief Paftors of the faid Congregation, whether affembled together in a ge O

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neral Council, to decide concerning any Point of Faith controverted, or feparately agreeing in fuch Decifion, have these Promises of the Af fiftance of the Holy Ghost to guide them into all Truth, as well with Refpect to fuch Point, as to all other Points which they hold and profefs to be of divine Faith. To prove, I fay, that this Congregation, this Church, this Ecclefia docens, hath fuch Promises, from the Mouth of Chrift himself, (who is faithful and able to perform what he promifeth) and by Confequence is Infallible in fuch Decifions, I fhall produce the faid Promises in the Order of Time, as they were given.

Chrift's first Promife of protecting his Church against all the Powers of Darkness was addressed to St. Peter, as a Reward of that Noble Profeffion of his Divinity, which neither Flesh nor Blood, but the Father which is in Heaven bad revealed unto him. Matth. 16. 17. His other Promises were made at the laft Supper, in that Sermon, which is, as it were, his laft Will and Teftament; every Word whereof feems to be the overflowing of a Heart filled with Concern. for his beloved Spoufe. "Twas then that Chrift unbofom'd himself to his Apoftles, as a Friend or Father, comforted them in their Affliction for his approaching Departure, and as a Pledge of his unalterable Love to his Church, bequeathed to them the Spirit of Truth, to be her Guide and teacher to the World's End. All which he ratified again, a few Moments before his Afcenfion into Heaven, when he gave his Apoftles their Commiffion to teach and Baptize all Nations, and encouraged them to undertake this Charge with a Promife of his perpetual Affiftance

Affiftance: Lo I am with you alway even unto the End of the World. Matth. 28. 20.

The Occafion of this firft Fromise is very remarkable. St. Peter's Name till then was Simon Barjona. But God having preordained him to be the Chief Pillar of his Church, illuftrated his Understanding in a particular Manner with a diftinct Faith of the Divinity of Chrift, whereof he made this folemn Profeffion: Thou art Chrift the Son of the living God, Matth. 16. V. 16. Hereupon Jefus Chrit dignified him with a Title fuitable to the Firmnefs of his Faith, and to the eminent Station he was to hold, and gave him the Name of Cephas or Peter; both which fignifie a Rock. And then, as a further Mark of Diftinction, he thus addreffed to him the above-faid Promife: Thou art Peter (that is a Rock) and upon this Rock I will build my Church, and the Gates of Hell fhall not prevail against it. Matth. 16. 18. If this be not a Proof of an Infallible Church, I own I am at a Lofs to find Words clear and ftrong enough to express it. What other meaning can we give to the Words of Chrift that will bear any Connection with their obvious and natural Signification?

That they contain a Promife is plain: That the Promife which they contain is made to the Church is no lefs plain; and fince all God's Pro mifes have a Relation to fome Favour, it remains only to confider what this Favour is.

First then, Chrift promises to build his Church upon a Rock. What does this mean? Is it probable Chrift, who fore-faw every thing that was to happen, would have told St. Peter that his Church thou'd be built upon a Rock, if he had foreseen it's future fall? Had he no Defign,

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that the Rock upon which his Church was to be built, fhou'd be a firm and lafting Foundation to it? Or did he act by chance, and without End, or Design? But Chrift himself has anfwer'd all thefe Questions in the following Words. Inil liken him unto a Wife Man, who built his Houfe upon a Rock; and the Rain defcended and the Floods came, and the Winds blew, and beat upon that Houfe, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a Rock Matth. 7. 24. 25. Whence it is plain that Chrift by promifing, that his Church fhou'd be built upon a Rock, intended to affure us, that it's Foundation fhou'd be fo ftrong, fo deeply laid, that it fhou'd ftand in fpite of all Storms, Oppofitions, or any Efforts what foever to make it fall. And therefore to prevent the very poffibility of all but wilful Miftakes, in the fecond Part of the Promife, he explains himfelf, and declares pofitively, that the Gates of Hell fhall not prevail against it. Which Words contain two things. First, they imply a general Prediction of what thou'd happen to the Church, from the Efforts and Malice of her Enemies, who fhou'd oppofe or endeavour to corrupt her holy Doctrine. And fecondly, a Pofitive Affurance, that all their Strength and Malice, which our Saviour calls the Gates of Hell, fhall never prevail against her.

The Prediction has been fully verified The Jews, the profeffed Enemies of Chrift, were the firft Champions of Satan, who declared themfelves openly, and made many furious Affaults upon his Church. They were foon followed by feveral Apoftate Chriftians, as the Ebronites, the Nicolaites, the Cerinthians, and many others, who confpired together to corrupt the Purity

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of her Doctrine. And the ten Bloody Perfecu tions raised by the Heathen-Emperors in the three firft Centuries, aim'd at nothing less than to extirpate the Chriftian-Religion, and destroy the Church, Root and Branch.

When these Storms ceafed, and the Church was deliver d from forreign Enemies, her own Bowels rofe up against her in so violent a Manner, as feem'd to threaten her utter Ruin: Arius, and his Followers, fupported by the Secular Power of Christian-Emperors, and a great Number of Apoftate-Bishops, made a furious War upon her for many Years together. All the Means that Artifice or Malice cou'd fuggeft, were employed to undermine the very Foundations of Religion. The moft Zealous Catholick-Bishops, were either Murder'd, or Imprifon'd, or fent into Banishment; fo that the Wolves being let in among the Flock, every thing feem'd to tend to the utter Extirpation of the Catholick-Faith, which gave Occafion to St. Ferome to say: Ingemuit Mundus et miratus eft fe Arianum effe. This was the State of the Church in thofe turbulent Times: And her Condition has in fome Measure been the fame, from Time to Time, when ever the Devil and his Minifters made any new Attempt upon the Purity of her Faith; as has happen'd almost in every Age from the very Infancy of the Church, to this Time downwards.

So, here we see the Powers of Hell have always been armed against the Church, and the Prediction, imply'd in the fore-mention'd Text, has been fully verified. But have we not as good Security for the Effects of Chrift's Promifes, as for the Event of his Predictions? Is