will and pleasure, to determine whofe fins fhould be forgiven, and whose not forgiven; who should be admitted into the ftate of future happiness, and who excluded. No: they can with no colour of reafon be understood to mean any thing like this. They fignify indeed, that the apostles, faithfully preaching the doctrine of the kingdom of heaven, under the infallible guidance and direction of the holy Ghoft, fhould by the tenour of that preaching fully make known, who were the perfons that should be faved, and who condemned: and that they had authority to affure those who should embrace the chriftian doctrine, and conform their lives to it, that they should inherit eternal life; and that those who should maliciously reject it, or contradict their profeffion of it by a wicked courfe of action, should be finally miferable. This is that power of binding and loofing, which was committed to Peter, and of remitting and retaining fins, committed to him and his brethren together. And now what becomes of Peter's pretended character, as prince of the apostles and vicar of Jefus Christ? How vifible indeed is it, that Chrift was determined to have no vicar upon earth; no one of his apoftles prince over the reft; no head of the church befides himself? What elfe could he mean in those words, Mat. XXIII. 8. Be not ye called Rabbi: for one is your mafter, even Chrift; and all ye are brethren. What could he mean by those words, Luke XXII. 25, 26. occafioned by a strife among the apoftles, which Should be the greatest; which was a proper feafon for deciding whether any, and which in parR ticular, ticular, should have fuperiority over the rest? He faid unto them: the kings of the gentiles exercife lordship over them; and they that exercife authority upon them are called benefactors. But ye fhall not be fo:. but he who is greatest among you, (that is, most deservedly in efteem) let him be as the younger; and be that is chief, as he that doth Jerve. Thefe, and other like things, were faid to Peter, as well as to the rest of the apoftles. And throughout the whole new teftament there is no footstep or appearance, of his ever having looked on himself, or his being acknowledged by his brethren, to have a fuperiority over them. The papifts indeed eagerly catch at any thing, that may feem to countenance this fuperiority. But in their eagerness they are sometimes fo unhappy, as to lay hold on texts, which make dire&ly against them; which call to mind Peter's failings, and give him advice fuitable to the remembrance of them. Such are two of the texts quoted by the author of the Grounds. The one of which gives him warning beforehand of the great fall, which would be occafioned by his high conceit of his own ftrength; and exhorts him, whenever he should be recovered, to da what he could to prevent the fall of others: Luke XXII. 32. When thou art converted, ftrengthen thy brethren. This is very far from committing unto Peter the care of his brethren the apostles,' any otherwise than letting him know, that it would be his duty to remove, as far as he should be able, the stumbling-block which his fall would lay in their way: and instead of a commiffion pag. 51. miffion conveying authority, it is indeed an advice and exhortation, arifing from the view of his own failings. The other text, John XXI. 15, 16, 17. directly points at Peter's fhameful fall, after it was over, and at that prefumption which was the occafion of it; exhorting him to take care for the future, rather to attend to his own duty in feeding the flock of Christ, than to boaft as if he loved his master more than any of his brethren did. This was a manifeft rebuke to his rashness, in having promised, that tho' all fhould forfake Chrift, yet would not be and the rebuke was the more vifible, in thrice repeating the question, Simon fon of Jonas, loveft thou me; and once putting it thus, loveft thou me more than these. And Peter himself was fenfible of it, in only anfwering, Lord thou knoweft I love thee; without venturing to intimate, as before, that he herein exceeded his brethren. And as to the exhortation, to feed Chrift's sheep and lambs: that was evidently a duty common to all the apoftles: and tho' now most properly, and with inimitable force, recommended to Peter in particular, yet was fo far from being confined to him, that Peter himfelf afterwards exhorted the elders, or prefbyters, among thofe to whom he directed his firft epiftle, to perform the very fame duty; 1 Pet. V. I, 2. What semblance now of a fuperiority in Peter is there to be fetched from thefe texts? And how does St. Paul's withstanding him to the face at Antioch confift, either with his fuperiority, or his infallibility? And even, if Peter had been infallible, and had been conftituted fupreme over his brethren; which, R 2 'tis 'tis plain, he was not yet how would that prove, that the church of Rome is the mother and mistress of all churches; and that the pope of Rome is bishop of bishops, and prince of all paftors; and that obedience is to be promised and sworn to the bishop of Rome, as vicar of Jefus Chrift? How endless is the number of fuppofitions, vain and falfe fuppofitions, upon which fuch a doctrine muft be built? Efpecially how fhall the unlearned christian, who is forbidden to read the fcriptures, and has no acquaintance with ecclefiaftical hiftory; how fhall he arrive at such a knowledge, as fhall enable him with a good confcience to make fuch a promife as is required in this article? Yet this, as well as all the reft, is made neceffary to falvation! So fays the conclufion of this creed, in the words of pope Pius V. And to the fame purpose fays* the Canon-Law, in the words of Boniface VIII. Moreover we declare, and fay, and define, and pronounce to every human creature; that it is altogether neceffary to falvation, to be fubject to the Roman pontif. But indeed it is no wonder, that fubjection to the popes should be made neceffary to falvation, when we confider the titles and powers they claim to themfelves. Thus pope + Nicholas fays: It appears evidently enough, that the pontif can neither at all be bound or loofed by the fecular power; whom 'tis certain * Porro, fubeffe Romano pontifici, omni humanæ cre›turæ declaramus, dicimus, definimus & pronunciamus, omnino effe de neceffitate falutis. Extrav. commun. de majorit. & obed. lib. I. tit. 8. cap. 1. Satis evidenter oftenditur, à feculari poteftate nec ligari prorfus, nec folvi poffe pontificem ; quem conftat à pio principe Conftantino Deum appe latum; nec poffe Deum ab hominicus judieari manifeftum eft. Decret. part. I. diftin&t. 96. c. 7. certain Conftantine, that pious prince, called God: and 'tis manifeft that God cannot be judged by men. Nor is it any wonder, that from this pretended fulness of power they undertake to dethrone princes, and to abfolve their fubjects from all obligations of fidelity and obedience. But whatever extravagant power they may blafphemously affume to themselves; our business is to take care, above all things, that we obey God: and this in many cases it will be impoffible to do, without disobeying them. The laft article is conceived in the following words. XII. I do without doubting receive and` profefs all other things which have been delivered, defined and declared by the facred canons and ecumenical councils, and efpecially by the holy fynod of Trent: and all things contrary thereunto, and all herefies condemned, rejected and anathematized by the church, I do likewife condemn, reject and anathematize. This is very fit to be the concluding article of the overbearing and perfecuting church of Rome. The private unlearned christian must, at the peril of his falvation, without any doubting, receive and profefs (what he never had nor can ever ex pect |