Apostles, and that it was built upon him in a special Manner. But I deny that our Saviour's Promise to St Peter implies no more than that he should lay the first Foundation of his Church.

1. Becaufe Chrift promised to St Peter Math. the 16. what he confer'd upon him John the 21. after his Refurrection. But the Commiffion he then deliver'd to him was not barely to lay the first Foundation of the Church, but to take Care of, and govern his whole Flock; therefore his Laying the Foundation of the Church amongft-both Jews and Gentiles was not a full and adequate Accomplishment of Christ's Promife.

2ly. There appears a manifeft Difference between thefe two Propofitions, thou shalls built my Church and, my Church shall be built upon thee, tho both may be verified of one and the fame Perfon. The former imports no more than a tranfient Action, but the latter a continual Dependence. Because every Building, nay every Part of it has a continual Dependence upon it's Foundation. Whence it follows that our Saviour's Promise of Building his Church upon St Peter (and that in a special Manner) imported nothing less, than that every Part of his Church should have a continual Dependence upon him during his Life, and upon his Succeffors after his Death: because the Church-govern ment once established by Christ can never be alter'd without a special Order and Commission from him.

S. 4.

St Peter's Supremacy proved from St John. C.21. V.15. &c.

I

Come now to the Text of St John. For, tho the Su premacy was promised to St Peter before our Saviour's Paffion, his Commiffion was not given him till after his Death and Refurrection.

C &

6. I prefume your Lordship means in thofe Words, feed my Sheep.

L. I do fo. But tho you have clipp'd them to make them lofe fome Part of their Weight, I shall make bold to quote the whole Text as it lies, and make my Obfervations upon it.

Christ on the very Day of his Refurrection had confirm'd St Peter, and the other Apostles in their Apoftolical Charge. Joh. 20. V. 21. As my Father fent me, fo I fend you, &c. And 'tis certain, they all received here an equal Apoftolical Charge or Jurifdiction. But Chrift appearing afterwards to St Peter, St John, St Fames, St Thomas, and fome of the Difciples, after he had eaten with them, he addrefs'd himself thus to St Peter. Simon Son of Jonas lovest thou me more than these? He faith unto him, yea Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He faith unto him, feed my Lambs. He faith unto him again the Second Time, Simon of Jonas loveft than me? He faith unto him, yea Lord, thou knowest that I love thee. He faith unto him, feed my Lambs. He faith to him the third Time, Simon Son of Jonas, loveft thou me ? Peter was grieved because he said unto him the third Time, Lovest thou me ? And he said, Lord, thou knoweft all Things, and thou knowest that I love thee. Jefus faith unto him feed my Sheep. Joh. 21. v. 15. 16. &c.

I obferve here an unufual Ceremony, fuch as is no where else to be found in the whole New Teftament. St Peter is fingled out from the rest of the Company. Chrift asks him, loveft thou me more than thefe? He asks him a fecond and third Time, lovest than me? And after each Anfwer and Affurance of his Love, Chrift gives him an unlimited Commiffion to feed his Flock. Whoever can fee nothing here attributed peculiarly to St Peter, muft shut his Eyes wilfully against the strongest Light.

G. I own, My Lord, I have not Eyes to fee it

૧

For it was the necessary Duty of all the Apostles during their Time, and of their Succeffors in all following Gene rations t feed our Saviour's Lambs and Sheep. And if St Peter was required to do the fame, this implies no more Jurifdiction in him, than in the other Apofties; on each of which this Duty was no leß incumbent than on him. I add, that if the Words themselves do not convey any such · paramount Jurifdiction, the Repetition of them can never do it. Vind, p. 21. 22.

L. 'Tis true, that a Repetition of Words do's not change their literal Signification. But no reas fonable Man will fay, it do's not enforce their Weight, or that it do's, not mark out a more than ordinary Importance of the Duty, or Injunction contain'd in Words, that are thus repeated; efpecially when it is done by a Person of the greatest Autho rity. And therefore our Saviour's threefold Repetition both of the Question put to St Peter, and the Command laid upon him to feed his Lambs and Sheep was doubtless intended to imprint in his Mind an Idea of fome extraordinary injunction. The Queftion itself, loveft thou me more than these? Manifeftly imports that Chrift required a greater Love of St Peter, than the other Apostles. And why for

G. My Lord, perhaps our Saviour only put this Question to him to put him in Mind of his former Profeffion of a fingular Love above the other Apoftles. *odo more t

1

L. What, Sr! to put him in Mind of it without requiring it of him! The Queftion plainly implies the contrary, and I ask the Reason of it. So pray Sr, guefs once more.

G. Perhaps it was only to humble him under the Senfe of his dreadful Fall and thus to quicken his

* Cafe farther Based. pag. 27. lon QLD

Care, and excite his Zeal be the Remembrance of his past Miscarriage. 1. *

L. This Guefs, Sr, is as unlucky as the former. For if Chrift only intended to humble him under the Sense of his dreadful Fail, it would have fufficed to have ask'd him dost thou love me? Or doft thou love me AS MUCH as thefe? By Way of Infinuation, that they had not denied him, as he had done; which would have been very humbling. But Chrift ask'd him, loveft thou me MORE than these? So this Guess is likewife unfatisfactory.

G. However I have St Ambrofe for my Voucher, who writes thus. For he, who had denied his Lord thrice, confeffes him thrice, and obtains Grace by Loving as often as he contracted the Guilt of Sin by his fall. Serm. 48. 2.*

· L. St, St Ambrofe makes here only a Comparifon between St Peter's triple Profeffion of Love, and his threefold Denial of Chrift: but fays not a Word of the Reason why Chrift ask'd him, if he loved him MORE than thefe? And fo his Words do not in the teaft favour your Guefs. I shall therefore endeavour to give a better Reason for it, and it is this. Becaufe the higher a Person is raised in the Ministry of the Gospel, the greater his Love ought to be for Chrift to enable him to fulfil his Truft. And there. fore fince Chrift demanded a greater Love of St Pe ter than the other Apoftles, even the beloved Difci ple St John, who was prefent, 'tis more than a Guefs to conclude from it, that the Command he then laid upon him to feed his Lambs and Sheep raifed him to a higher Station than the other Apoftles. Neither was this intended as a Leffon to St Peter alone, but to all his Succeffors, who without an ex

Cafe farther flated, pag. 27. 2* Ibidem

23 traordinary Love of God, and Zeal for his Church, can never be fitly qualified to discharge their im portant Trust of feeding both the Lambs and Sheep of Chrift; that is, of Governing his whole Flock: which E is the true Meaning of that Text.

G. But pray, My Lord, was it not the neceffary Duty of all the Apoftles to feed our Saviour's Lambs and Sheep? Vind. p. 21.

L. Not in the fame unlimited Senfe as St Peter was charged with it. But leaft this may appear to be gratis dictum, it is here neceffary to obferve, that the fame Words may either have a more reftrain'd, or ample Signification according to the Circumstances they are fpoken in, or the Perfons they are applied to

and nothing is more Sophiftical, than to infer from their Signification in Reference to one Perfon, that they bear the fame Senfe in Reference to another. As for Inftance, Chrift calls himself the Light of the World, Joh. 8. v. 12. and he calls his Apoftles the Light of the World, Math. 5. v. 14. Now if any one should. argue thus, The Apostles are call'd the Light of the World as well as Chrift, therefore this implies nothing in Chrift above the Apostles: would he not deferve to be pitied rather than anfwer'd? In like Manner, all that are impowr'd to preach the Gofpel, Catechife, or Inftruct, are properly commiffion'd to feed the Flock of Christ, but do's it therefore follow, that their Jurifdiction is equal to what Chrift gave to St Peter? If not; neither can we conclude, that he had not a more ample Jurisdiction than the other Apoftles, who certainly were all commiffion'd to feed the Flock of Chrift. In Effect, the other Apoftles had no Jurifdiction over one another; but St Peter's Jurifdic ex tion reach'd them all by Virtue of thofe Words.

G. My Lord, this is the very Point, you are to prove: for I shall not believe it upon your barg Word,