adly, that this Office, according to Chrifts Inftitu tion, was after St Peter's Deceafe to pass to his Suc cefors appointed by the Church; and these have always been Bishops of Rome, tho they might have been Bishops of any other Dioceß, if St Peter had fix'd the Papal Seat in any other Place.

St Auftin join'd both thefe together, when he said. A Succeffion of Bishops from the See of St Peter, to whom Chrift after his Resurrection committed his Flock to the prefent Epifcopacy holds me in the Catholick Church. L. contra Epift. Fund. C. 4,

And St Jerom writing to Pope Damafus. I am join'd (fays he) in Communion with your Holineß, that is, with the Chair of St Peter. Upon that Rock I know the Church is built. Whoever eats the Lamb out of this House is prophane. If any one be not in the Ark, he will perish in the Deluge.I know not Vitalis, I refufe Meletius, I am a Stanger to Paulinus. Whoever gathers not with thee, Scatters [quicunque tecum non colligit, fpargit] that is, he who is not Chrift's, is Antichrifts. Epift. 57.

What two rank Papifts were St Austin, and St Ferom! One would think Bellarmin had dictated to them. In Effect, Sr, if Antiquity, and the Senfe of the most eminent Pillars of the Church be of any Weight, these two Paffages alone are a full Confutation of every Thing you have hitherto faid against the Pope's Supremacy, and particularly of that bold and groundless Affertion, viz. that the Ancient Bishops and Fathers knew nothing of the Supremacy of the See of Rome. Truly, Sr, when a Man talks at this wild Rate, he feems refolved to outface the ftrongest Evidence. But we shall have more of this hereafter.

G. St Paul Ephef. 4. ✯. 3. 4. 5. defcribes the « Unity of the Church by having all one Lord, one «

8.12: Faith, one Baptim, and one Spirit, from which they are call'd one Body. The Unity of the Spirit is their Unity with God, and the Bond of Peace is the Unity of the Churches with each other as Members of the fame Body. And this is a much stricter and » clofer Union than that of the fecular World. pag.

16. 17.

L. Sr, St Paul's Words, when quoted full at Length, are their own beft Interpreters. They are as follows. I therefore the Prisoner of the Lord befeech you, that you walk worthy of the Vocation, wherewith ye are call'd. With all Lowlineß and Meekneß, with long Suffering; forbearing one another in Love; endeavouring to keep the Unity of the Spirit in the Bond of Peace. There is one Body, and one Spirit, even as you are call'd to one Hope of your Calling, one Lord, one Faith, one Baptifm. Ephef. 4. v. 1. 2. &c. These are St Paul's Words; and it is manifeft from them, that it was his main Drift to exhort the Ephefians to mutual Love and Charity, which he calls the Unity of Spirit, and Bond of Peace. But do's the Unity of the Spirit, and the Bond of the Peace exclude our being united under one Head? On the contrary do's not that render the Union of the Faithfull ftill more perfect, and cement them more clofely together? You cannot therefore draw any Confequence from St Paul's Words either against the Pope's Supremacy, or in Favour of your large Syftem of the Church's Unity of Faith confifting in the bare belief of common Chriftianity. Nay his Words plainly infinuate the contrary. For first he tells the Ephefians that the Church of Chrift is but one Body Which shews that she is in one Communion; and 2dly, he tells them, that the Church of Chrift has but One Faith. And how will this agree to a Church of your large Size, which takes in all Societies of Chriftians whatsoever a For there

are Lutheran Chriftians, and Calvinian Chriftians, and Puritan Chriftians, and Anabaptift Chriftians and Church of England Christians, and Popish Chriftians too I hope. And pray, Sr, have thefe all one Faith? Tis very ftrange if they have, fince they have been Difputing and Fighting about Religion for near two hundred Years. 'Tis plain then that St Paul's Idea of the 1 Church's Unity is not of the fame large Size with yours: and you have been very unlucky to put me in Mind of his Words.

G.

§. 13.

Of new Articles of Faith, and the Sacraments.

MY

Y Lord, all Churches agree in that Sum- « mary of Faith call'd the Apofties Creed: « and the Church of Rome herfelf muft think this fuf- « ficient for Salvation, because she requires no other « Profeffion of Faith in Baptifm, or for being ad- « mitted into the Church. But the 12 new Articles « of Faith, which the Council of Trent has added « to the 12 of the Apostles, which are call'd Pope « Pin's Creed, and is required to be profefs'd by Converts, has made many Contests and Divisions « in the Church. And I have not yet met with any « Roman Catholick fo hardy as to say, that the Belief « of all those is neceffary to Salvation, only that we « should not deny or oppofe them, fuch as Purga- « tory, the Invocation of Saints, &c. pag. 17. «

сс

L. Sr, you tell me first, that all Churches agree in that Summary of Faith call'd the Apostles Creed. But I muft beg your Pardon. For none of your Churches agree with us in that Creed. Because Agreeing with us is Agreeing in the Senfe of every Article of that Creed as well as in the Words it contains. Now you

difagree with us in the Sense of the Article concerning the Catholick Church, which we with all former Ages place in one Communion, but you in Many. Becaufe the fmall Extent of your Church being too narrow to make it pafs for Univerfal forces you to link it with many other heretical Churches, and by this rare Invention to enlarge the Bounds of it.

But you feem diffatisfied with our Church for Judging the Apostles Creed fufficient for Infants, and yet requiring more of Converts. Sr, she requires no more Faith of the one, than of the other. But only a more ample Declaration of it. For she demands an entire Faith of Infants, and but an entire Faith of Converts, tho under a longer or shorter Form of Words as she fees Occafion. And the Reason why she demands it of Converts in a longer Form of Words than of Infants, is, because there can be no doubt of the Sincerity of Infants: but that of new Converts cannot be fo fecurely depended upon: whom therefore she obliges to profefs explicitly the Same Truths of Faith, which Infants profess implicitly by Profeffing to believe the Catholick Church.

You tell me likewife, the Trent-Articles or Pope Pius's Creed has made many Contests or Divifions in the Church. But you may fay the fame of the Articles, or Creed of the great Council of Nice. Which defined the Confubftantiality of the Son against the Arians. For as that Council only explain'd the ancient Faith of the Church, fo the Council of Trent and Pope Pin's Creed have done no more. And therefore as the long Contests and Divifions occafion'd by the Nicene Creed was wholly Owing to the Pride and Obftinacy of the Arians, who refused to submit to the Decifion of that Council; fo your first Reformers, who had the Pride to set up their private Judgment against

the Doctrine of the Universal Church, and continued obftinate in it, are alone accountable for the Con Etefts and Divisions you speak of.

Laftly you tell me, you never met with any Catho ulick fo hardy as to say, that the Belief of all Pope Pius's dhi Articles is neceffary to Salvation, only that we should not derry or oppose them. Then, Sr, I must tell you plain ly, it never yet was your good Fortune to meet a Roman Catholick, that understood his Religion. But I prefume you Judge of our Church by your own, which proposes her 39 Articles without any Obliga tion to believe them, according to Bishop Bramhat in his Schifm guarded, p. 190. where he writes thus. We do not look upon the Articles of the Church of Eng Land as Effentials of Saving Faith, or Legacies of Chrift and his Apoftles: but in a Mean, as pious Opinions fitted for the Prefervation of Unity. Neither do we oblige any Man to believe them, but only not to contradict them But our Church is not fo complaifant, as to fet forth Profeffions of Faith, which no Body is bound to believe or to be content with fuch a Unity, as allows Diversity of Eaiths at Pleasure, and makes Men turn Hypocrits in profeffing one Thing, and believing another. Therefore every Roman Catholick, whe understands the Principles of his Religion, will inform you, that tho indeed the knowledge of all reveal'd Truths be no more neceffary to Salvation than the knowledge of the whole Bible, yet every reveal'd Truth, when duly propofed, is to be believed. And it is not fufficient not to deny or oppofe fuch Truth, but a pofitive inward Affent is to be given to it.

any

G. It feems then the Church has a Charter to im pole as many new Creeds as she pleases.

L. Sr, if by new Creeds you mean nothing elfe but new Explanations of the Ancient Faith for her De