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Throne, whom Boniface Owned and Abetted, and was made Universal Bishop for his Reward, in the Beginning of the Seventh Century. Thus the Supremacy now Claimed by Rome was Introduced, and has been Maintained pro Viribus ever fince. And, under this. Britain has been fubdued, which never was under the Patriarchat of Rome: So much has the Govern ment and Unity of the Church been Altered from what it was in the Apostles time, or in the First Ages of the Church. And thus has Rome Ufurped the Name of the Catholick Church, and placed all its Unity in Submiffion to her BiShop! Here we fee the Degrees by which this Encroachment crept on; the Patriarchat began in the Fifth, and the Univerfal Supremacy in the Seventh Century. And Britain which held it out against the Patriarchat of Rome, was at last Conquered by the more Apparent Ufurpation of her Univerfal Supremacy, so Obtained as I have told.

And yet I have heard fome Britains say, That though they thought the Church of Rome the most Corrupt Part of the Christian Church, both as to Doctrine and Worship, and to be a Cage full of Unclean Birds; yet that they must be of her, and enter into that Cage, because she was the Catholick Church. This is like that Desperate Maxim in the Canon Law, I quoted before out of the Decretals, That though the Pope fhould draw Infinite Numbers of People with him into Hell, yet we must not find Fault with him, nor Reprove him, &c.

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(29.) And

(29.) And I must observe alfo here, That though France has thrown off the Pope's Infallibility, and his Depofing Power over Princes, and has Limited his Supremacy, that is indeed taken it wholly away, for no Supremacy (properly fo called) can be Limited, for then it Ceases to be Supreme: Yet France remains ftill in the Dreggs of the Corruptions of Rome, both as to Doctrine and Worship. The Religion of the People there, is, the Adoration of the Hoft, and of the Cross, Invocation of Saints, Worship of Images, praying Souls out of Purgatory, telling their Beads, and going to Confeffion.

(30.) L. I have heard your felf fay, that Confeffion was a good Thing, rightly Ufed.

G. And fo I fay ftill, But not in that Sense it is generally used with you, and is Expreffed in your Catechifm ad Parochos, de Pænitentiæ Sacramento, Sect. 46, 47. That such a Repentance as God will not Accept, nor Pardon for it, is made fufficient by the Sacrament of Penance, and all our Sins Remitted by it. And that Pauciffimi, very few can be faved without it. They might have faid, None, for they here require in Repentance acceptible to God, a Senfe and Sorrow for Sin that shall be fully Equal to the Deme rit, Ut cum fcelerum Magnitudine Aquari con ferrique poffit, which is Impoffible for Mortal Man. And therefore All must be Damned without this Sacrament of Penance. And they

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fay;

fay; It was Neceffary that God fhould Inftitute this Sacrament, as an Eafier way for Men to get to Heaven. Quare neceffe fuit ut clementiffimus Dominus faciliori ratione communi hominum faluti confuleret. An Easy way indeed! Confefs to a Prieft and get Abfolution, and this makes up the Defects of your Repentance, and you are faved ex Opere Operato, by the Work wrought the bare Performance of this Sacrament. And the Council of Trent Anathematifes all thofe who say that the very Sacraments of the Gospel do not confer Grace in the fame Manner, by the bare Performance. Si quis dixerit per ipfa Nova legis Sacramenta ex Opere Operato non conferri Gratiam Anathema fit. Seff. 7. Can. 8. It is true that God did Inftitute His Sacraments as Means of Grace, (for which we Blefs His Name Daily in our General Thanksgiving) but this turns them into Charms, when the very Sacraments themfelves, ipfa Sacramenta, confer the Grace, ex Opere Operato, by the bare Performance of the Work.

Let us Exemplify this to our felves by the like Ufe made of the Inftitutions of God under the Law. The Jews had got this Notion of the Opus Operatum, that the bare Performance of the Letter of the Law, in their Sacrifices, Feafts, Fafts, and other Obfervances was all that was Required of them. Whence the Voices of all the Prophets were against these Inftitutions, they call them Iniquity, Abomination,

and

Ifa. i. 11, 12,13.14.
Jer. vii. 22.

and Hateful to God: Nay, God denies that He did Require them, or ever did Inftitute them. That is, as a dead Carcass without a Soul, and Working like Charms by the · bare Opus Operatum. God did never Inftitute fuch, nor does Require them at our Hands. And may we not fay, no more under the Gospel than the Law? For the Gospel introduced a more Pure and Spiritual Worfhip, but the Council of Trent by Naming only the Sacraments of the New Law, applies the Opus Operatum to them alfo, if not Chiefly.

What else is the Meaning of tying Men to the Repetition of fuch a percife Number of Ave's and Pater's and Credo's, at fuch particular Times, whether the Mind goes along with them, or not? For you will fee People in the Markets, buying and felling, or Difcourfing of Common Bufinefs, and droping their Beads all the while, to keep Count if they have Rightly Performed their Task of the Opus Operatum.

But if Prayers and Sacraments, which are Means of Grace of God's own Inftitution, may be thus Abused, and rendred Hateful to God: What hall we fay of thofe Means of Grace which are of Man's mere Invention? None can Appoint the Means but he who has the bestowing of the End to be Obtained by those Means: As if I have a Thousand Pounds to Bestow, I may put what Conditions I

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think

think fit, and Appoint the Means for the Obtaining it; and none elfe can Appoint the Means: Now Grace is the Gift of the Holy Ghoft, and none can Appoint the Means of Obtaining it, but who has the Beftowing of the Holy Ghost; which it is the Highest Blafphemy for any Creature to Affume to Himself; hence Chrift's fending the Holy Ghost is a fure Proof of His Divinity: But the Church of Rome takes upon her to Appoint Means of Grace, many and various; the whole Pontifical is made up of the Forms of Confecration of every thing almoft one can think of into Means of Grace, as Bells, Books, Candles, Water, Salt, Oil, Afbes, Palms, Swords, Banners, and Veftments of divers Sorts, even to Childrens Clouts, befides Croffes, Pidures, Images, Agnus Dei's, &c. By the Ufe of which, in the Manner prescribed, feveral Graces, both Ghostly and Bodily, are faid to be Obtained, as befides the Favour of God, and the Remiffion of Sins, the Saving from Fire, from Difeafes, from Storms at Sea, Thunder, Lightning, and Tempeft at Land, at which times they Ring their Confecrated Bells, to Allay the Winds, and Chafe away the Demons of the Air, who seeing the Sign of the Cross upon fuch Bells, and hearing their Sound, fhall be Frighted and Fly away, as it is Expressed in the Form of Confecration of Bells in the Pontifical. Nay ther is Nothing in the World fo Infignificant, a Rofe, or a Feather, which the Pope may not Confecrate into a Means of

Grace

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