ALL NECESSARY TRUTHS, and yet propofe falfe Chap. 3. Doctrines, INCONSISTENT WITH SALVATION? Queft.5. For is not Truth call'd neceffary, in order to Salvation? And does a Church teach all neceffary Truth, if she teaches Falfhood inconfiftent with Salvation, and even requires the Profeffion of it in the Terms and Conditions of Communion with her? No certainly, For all neceffary Truth is not taught, unless it be taught in fuch a Manner as is necessary to Salvation; that is, unless it be taught without Contradiction or Inconsistency in regard to Salvation. So that his chief Anfwer is as bad, if not worse than any of the reft.

Secondly, to If. lix. v. 21, fomething will be objected by and by, tho' Mr Trapp says nothing of it.

Thirdly, to S. Mat. xvi. v. 18, Mr Trapp has a (19) long Objection, or if you please a long Anfwer, which amounts only to this: That from those words of the Scripture, nothing can be concluded, but the perpetual Duration of the Church of Christ.

ANS. Nothing can be concluded from them, but the perpetual Duration of the pure Church of Christ. And this undoubtedly may. For the plain and obvious Senfe of his Words is this: Upon this Rock I will build my pure and true Church, and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. But thefe Words of Chrift cannot be falfe. Therefore his Church cannot fall into any Error against Faith. For how can it fall into any fuch Error, and yet be at the fame Time the true Church of Christ, and pure

(19) pag. 64, 65, 66, 67, 68, 69, 70, 75,

Chap. 3.pure from Error. Nothing then can be more Queft.5. abfurd, than what Mr Trapp affirms in the Course of this Objection p. 70: I mean, that, notwithstanding this Text, ALL THE CHURCHES UPON EARTH, Or if you please, THE CHURCH UNIVERSAL, MAY BE GUILTY OF IDOLATRY IT SELF. And, I prefume, he will not take it ill, if I return the Complement, in his own Words page 64, which he paffes upon his Adversary without any appearance of Reafon, that fo much Blunder, Inconfequence, Fallacy, and Falfhood, was, I believe, scarce ever crouded into fo few Words before.

Fourthly, to S Mat. xxviii. v 20, what Mr Trapp (20) objects, does not reach the Difficulty. Our Bleffed Saviour had faid to his Difciples, He, who bears you, bears me, S. Luke x. v. 16, And, before his Afcenfion, he fays to his Apostles, (21) Go, teach all Nations, teaching them to obferve &c; and behold I am teaching with you, always, even to the end of the World. This is Part of what the Words imply. For the true and full Sense, is, Bebold I am going, teaching, and baptizing with you, even to the End of the World: This being the most natural and plain Signification of the Words. If so, whatever the Church of Chrift teaches, and propofes to others as the Doctrine of Chrift, is taught by Chrift. But what Chrift teaches, cannot be falfe. Therefore whatever the Church of Christ teaches, and proposes to others as the Doctrine of Chrift, cannot be falfe.

Fifthly,

(20) p. 72, 73, 74, 75. (21) S. Mat. xxviii.

19, 20.

Fifthly, to S. Mat. xxviii, v. 17, Mr Trapp Chap. 3. vouchfafes not to object any thing in par- Queft.5. ticular.

Sixthly, what he offers to Eph iv. v. 11, 12, 13, 14, is next to nothing. I only obferve it, that the Paftors and Teachers, of whom S. Paul fpeaks v. 11, are evidently diftinct from the Apostles and Evangelifts: And he gave fome, Apoftles, fays he : And fome, Prophets And fome, Evangelifts: And fome Paftors and Teachers. 2dly, that the Paftors and Teachers, given for the perfecting of the Saints, for the Work of the Ministry, for the Building up of the Body of Chrift, till we all come into the Unity of the Faith, v. 12, 13, are evidently the Paftors and Teachers, whom the Church of Chrift has in every Age: And not only thofe of the firft Century, as (22) Chillingworth fuppofes. For thefe, neither by their Perfons, nor by their Writings, fecure us from Error.

Laftly, to St John xiv, v 16, 17, Mr Trapp has fome Objections. First, he fays, p. 78, that it is fcarce common Senfe to interpret it of the Succeffors to the Apoftles at all: Tho' I deny not, fays he, but the Affistance of Christ's Holy Spirit is in other Places, whether it be here or no, promis'd to his Church in general, through all Ages. That is, it is scarce common Senfe, to fay, that for ever fignifies FOR EVER, or to suppose that, FOR EVER, does not END at the Death of the Apoftles. And if the Affistance of Christ's Holy Spirit is in other Places promis'd

to

(22) Religion of Proteftants. Chap. iii, §. 79, 80, 81.

Chap. 3.

to his Church IN ALL AGES: Why may not Queft. 5. thefe Words (my Father will give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you FOR EVER, the Spirit of Truth) without any Danger of Nonfenfe, fignify the fame?

If they do, Mr Trapp is fafe. For there is not a Word, fays he p. 79, about the Church of Rome. The good man is ftill at Crofs Purpofes. For the Question here is not, whether the Church in Communion with Rome be the univerfal Church, or not: But whether the univerfal Church be always Orthodox in her Decifions of Faith, and an unerring Gu.de n deciding Controverfies of Religion?

But if our Saviour promis'd, fays Mr Trapp P. 79, that the Holy Ghost fhould affist not only the Apostles, but the Ministers of his Church to the World's End; teach them, and remind them of all things (neceffary to their Salvation, for fure he speaks of nothing elfe) yet thofe, who are fo taught, and reminded, MAY NEITHER LEARN,

NOR REMEMBER AS THEY SHOULD DO.

ANS. An admirable Comment upon thefe Words of Chrift, S. John xvi. v. 13, When the Spirit of Truth is come, he WILL GUIDE YOU INTO ALL TRUTH. And S. John xiv. v 26, The Holy Ghost, whom the Father will fend in my Name, WILL TEACH YOU ALL THINGS, AND BRING ALL THINGS TO YOUR REMEMBRANCE, WHATSOEVER I HAVE SAID TO YOU. For how are all things taught, if they are not learn'd? How are they brought to Remembrance, if they are not remember'd? And fince this Anfwer fuppofes, that this Promife of the Spirit of Truth is made, in the very fame Words, to the Apostles, and to their Succeffors: If both

were

were equally indued with free Will; how can Chap. 3. we be fure, that the Apostles were effectually Quelt.5. GUIDED INTO ALL TRUTH,and were effectually TAUGHT ALL THINGS? For Mr Trapp informs us, page 76, that the Spirit of Truth may abide for ever with the Teachers of the Gospel, fo as to tender his Grace and Affistance to them, and yet they may RESIST HIS MOTIONS, and fo have No BENEFIT by fuch his abiding with them. Thus the ingenious Mr. Trapp.

But still he is not fatisfy'd. For the Abiding fays he p. 77, of the Holy Ghost with the Church is no Argument of its being always in the Right, much lefs of its being always, or ever, infallible.

ANS. If the Remaining of the Holy Spirit with the Church for ever, and his Guiding it into all reveal'd Truth, be no Argument, that the Church is always in the Right, in deciding Controverfies of Religion: I cannot but fear, that in these Chapters of S. John, the Apoftles will have no Promise of being always, or ever Infallible in what they taught and writ.

As to the Suppofition of the ingenious Mr. Trapp, that tho' the Church of Chrift were always in the Right, She would not be Infalli ble; this, if his own Language may be used without Offence, is a moft egregious Blunder. Infallibility is a Term, which I do not find, that the universal Church in any of her General Councils, has apply'd to herself: tho' as her Divines understand it, it is certainly true. For when they fay, that the univerfal Church is infallible; they only mean, that She is always Orthodox, that he is and always will be an unerring Guide in deciding Controverfies of Religion, and that in this She is always in the Right. But fince Mr. Trapp,

by