places, before there was any church at Rome : fo far is that from being the mother-church.

Then, as to authority: the new teftament knows no fuch thing, as the making any one church fovereign or mistress over others. If any one could claim the fovereignty, it must be that which was first gathered in Jerufalem, by the miniftry of the apoftles: because it was from that body of christians that the christian doctrine was fpred, into all thofe places which afterwards received it. But there is no footstep of any authority or power, claimed by that or by any church in the new teftament, over any other whatever: nor any foundation for this pretended authority of the church of Rome over other churches, but what arises from a wrong interpretation of the words of our Saviour to the apostle Peter; who is supposed to have been afterwards bishop of Rome, tho' it is still a doubt, whether he ever was there. Upon Peter's confeffing Chrift to be the Son of the living God, Christ gave a strong teftimony of his approving that confeffion, by alluding to his name, which fignifies a rock, and faying to him: thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell fhall not prevail against it: and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatfoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatfoever thou shalt loofe on earth shall be loofed in heaven. Mat. XVI. 16---- 19.

The rock, upon which Chrift built his church, was not the firmnefs of Peter himself, who after this moft fhamefully denied his master with oaths and curfes; but the goodness of his confeffion : a

greeably

greeably to which we find, in the following hiftory of the new teftament, that the acknowledging Jefus to be the Son of God, was looked on as receiving the whole chriftian doctrine; this being the firm foundation, upon which the whole superstructure was built. As to Chrift's giving unto Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven; that receives a clear explication from his being, by the providence of God, made the inftrument of opening the doctrine of the kingdom of heaven; in being the first preacher of the gofpel, both to Jews and Gentiles, after the refurrection and afcenfion of Chrift, whereby his kingdom was eftablished. This is the plain and evident meaning of Chrift's giving to Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven. The giving him thereby the power, of letting in or fhutting out from the happiness of that kingdom whomfoever he pleased, is too abfurd a thought to deserve a mention; as it is abfolutely inconfiftent with the wisdom of divine government. Befides, if any fuch meaning as this could be gathered from the following words, whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth fhall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loofe on earth fhall be loofed in heaven: the fame extent of power was undoubtedly given by our Lord to all the apostles, a little before his afcenfion, and confequently not confined to Peter: John XX. 23. Whofefoever fins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whofefoever fins ye retain, they are retained. Yet there is no femblance of an argument, from these or any other words of our Lord, that his apoftles, or any other men upon earth, should have power, at their

will

will and pleasure, to determine whofe fins fhould be forgiven, and whofe not forgiven; who should be admitted into the ftate of future happiness, and who excluded. No: they can with no colour of reason be understood to mean any thing like this. They fignify indeed, that the apoftles, 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 Chrift? 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 ftrife among the apostles, 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 reft? He said unto them: the kings of the gentiles exercife krahip ver them; and they that exercile authority upon them are callid bergfctors. But ye fall not be : but he who is greated among you, (that is, most defervedly in eiteem) ket kim be as the younger; and be that is chief, as be that doth ferce. Thele, and other like things, were faid to Peter, as well as to the rest of the apostles. 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 papists indeed eagerly catch at any thing, that may feem to countenance this fuperiority. But in their eagerness they are fometimes 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 suitable 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 strength; and exhorts him, whenever he fhould be recovered, to do 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 apoftles," 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 mafter more than any of his brethren did. This was a manifeft rebuke to his rafhness, in having promised, that tho' all Should forfake Chrift, yet would not he 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 thefe. 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 apostles: 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 those to whom he directed his firft epiftle, to perform the very fame duty; 1 Pet. V. I, 2. What femblance now of a fuperiority in Peter is there to be fetched from these 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

'tia