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LXII.

SERM. fair means, to get them believed, without proof of this stubborn fort of propofitions, which will admit of no proof. This is one, that a part is the whole; or, which is all one, that the Roman church is the catholick church. For that is but a part of the christian church, and not the best part neither, but perhaps the very worst and most corrupt of all the reft, is no difficult matter to prove, and hath been often done. But now to prove the church of Rome to be the catholick church, that is, the whole fociety of all true Chriftians in the world, thefe following particulars ought to be clearly fhewn and made out.

1. A plain conftitution of our SAVIOUR, whereby St. Peter and his fucceffors at Rome are made the fupreme, head and paftors of the whole chriftian church. For St. Peter firft. Can they fhew any fuch conftitution in the gofpel, or can they produce the leaft proof and evidence out of the history 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 first council of the christian church at Jerufalem, St. James, the bishop 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 apoftles, even to St. Peter himfelf? And is this confiftent with a plain conftitution of our LORD's making St. Peter fupreme head and pastor of the christian 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

bishop?

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bishop? They muft acknowledge, that when he was SERM. bishop of Antioch, he was the fupreme head and paftor of the whole christian church; and then the ftile must have been, the Antiochan catholick church, as it is now the Roman catholick. But do they find any footsteps of such a stile in ecclefiaftical history?

2. 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 Asia, which were excommunicated by the bishops 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.

good;

3. 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 then it makes the persons baptized, members of the catholick 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 thofe that are out of the communion of their church, to be good; which is a demonftration, that the Roman church neither is the catholick church; nor if she believe confiftently, can fhe think herself to be fo.

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SERM. 4. In confequence of this propofition, all the LXII. Chriftians in the world, which do not yield fubjec

tion 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 christian world; which taken together, are really greater than those in communion with the church of Rome. And this the church of Rome does affirm, concerning all those 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 CHRIST can have fo little charity as this comes to; and to a wife man there needs no other demonftration than this, that the church of Rome is fo far from being the whole christian church, that 'tis a very arrogant and uncharitable part of it.

5. 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 express mention of the Roman catholick church, in the ancient creeds of the chriftian 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 chriftian church: and if it were so, 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

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put an article of fuch confequence and importance SER M. in express words in their creeds; nor why they should not have used the stile of Roman catholick, as familiarly then, as they do now in the Roman church? A plain evidence that this is a new stile which they use, when they give themselves the title of the Roman catholick church; and that the ancient christian 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 the fecond) 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 catholick 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 chriftian 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 less true for that.

Fifthly, 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 tenable proof: For, 1. All the pretence for their infallibility relies upon the truth of the former propofitions, that the

church

SERM. church of Rome is the catholick church, and that LXII. they fay is infallible and I have already fhewn, that

that propofition is not only deftitute of any good proof; but is as evidently false, as that a part of a thing is the whole.

2. 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 controverfies of religion. It is granted by all Chriftians, that our SAVIOUR and his apoftles were infallible, in the delivery of the chriftian doctrine, and they proved their infallibility by miracles : and this was neceffary at firft for the fecurity of our faith but this doctrine being once delivered and transmitted down to us in the holy fcriptures, written by the evangelifts and apostles, who were infallibly affifted by the Holy Ghoft; we have now a certain and infallible rule of faith and practice, which, with the affistance and inftruction of those guides and pastors which CHRIST hath appointed in his church, is fufficiently plain in all things neceffary. And as there is no evidence of the continuance of infallibi lity in the guides and paftors of the church, in the ages which followed the apoftles; because miracles are long fince ceased: fo there is no need of the continuance of it, for the preservation of the true faith and religion; because 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 fal

vation.

3. As for a certain remedy against herefy, it is certain GOD never intended there fhould be any;

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