IX. The DISSENTERS.

On the other hand, our Diffenters run to the contrary extreme: and because our good works must have no fhare in the fatisfaction for fin, which they cannot, as being unworthy, and mixed with our infirmities and our fin; therefore they make them not neceffary, nor of any effect towards our falvation. They fay that Christ did not die for any but the elect, in whom he fees no fin, let them live never fo wickedly. They damn the far greatest part of the world by irreversible decrees of reprobation, and say, that their good works are hateful to God, and that it is not poffibly in their power to be faved, let them believe as they will, and live never fo religioufly. They take away free-will in man, and make him a perfect machine. They make God' the author of fin, to create men on purpofe to damn them; and to punith them eternally for not doing what was not in their power to do, and for doing what he had made impoffible for them not to do. They make his promifes and threatnings to be of no effect, nay, to be a fort of burlesquing, and infulting those whom he has made miferable; which is an hideous blafphemy! For a folution in this matter, both as to faith refer you to the homilies of faith and falvation, works, where you will find the true Chriftian doctrile fet forth clearly and folidly.

works, I

of good

I will not anticipate what you defign for your fecond part, by entering into other difputes there are among Chriftians; only these will be exceeding neceffary, to fettle well the notion of the Church of Chrift, to which all do pretend in various manners.

X. The True Notion of the CHURCH.

First therefore, the church must be confidered not only as a fect, that is, a company of people believing fuch and such tenets, like the feveral fects of the Heathen Philofophers; but as a fociety under government, with governors appointed by Chrift, invested with fuch powers and authority, to admit into and exclude out of the fociety, and govern the affairs of the body.

This power was delegated by Christ to his Apostles and their fucceffors to the end of the world: accordingly the apostles did ordain Bishops in all the churches. which they planted throughout the whole world, as the fupreme governors, and center of unity, each in his own church. These were obliged to keep unity and

communion with one another; which is therefore called Catholic Communion. And all thefe churches confidered together, is the Catholic Church: as the feveral nations of the earth are called the world.

XI. Of an UNIVERSAL BISHOP.

And Chrift appointed no Univerfal Bishop over his church more than an Univerfal Monarch over the world. No fuch thing was known in the primitive church, till it was fet up first by John Bishop of Conftantinople, then by the Bishop of Rome, in the feventh century. And as the whole world is one kingdom to God, as it is written, "his kingdom ruleth over all," fo the feveral churches of the world are one church to Chrift. And the Church of Rome's faying that the is that one church, or fhew us another, which can difpute it with us, in univerfality, antiquity, &c. is the fame as if France (for example) should say, Who can compare with me? Therefore I am the Univerfal or Monarch, shew me another. The thing appears ridiculous at the first propofal; for it must be said to Rome, or to France, that if you were ten times greater than you are, you are yet but a part of the whole. And to fay, who else pretends to it? Why none. And it would nonfenfe in any one who did pretend to it. One part may be ger than another; but one part can never be the whole. And all refults in this, whether Chrift did appoint an Univerfal Bishop over all the churches in the world? And we are willing to leave the iffue to that, if it can appear either from the scripture or antiquity. Besides, the reafon of the thing; for as Gregory the Great urged against John of Conftantinople, if there was an Univerfal Bifhop, the Univerfal Church must fall, if that one Univerfal Bishop fell; and fo all must come to center in one poor, fallible, mortal man.

This obliged the Pope to run into another monftrous extreme, and fet up for infallibility in his own perfon, as the only fucceffor of St. Peter, and heir of thole promifes made to him, fuper hanc Petram, &c. This was the current doctrine of the divines in the Church of Rome, in former ages, as you may fee in Bellarmin, de Rom. Pontif. 1. 4, c. 5. where he carries this fo high as to affert, that if the Pope did command the practice of vice, and forbid virtue, the church were bound to believe that virtue was vice, and that vice was virtue. And in his preface he calls this abfolute fupremacy of the Pope, the fumma rei Chriftiane,

the fum and foundation of the Chriftian religion. And that to deny it was not only a simple error, but a pernicious herefy.

This was old Popery: but now it is generally decried by the papists themselves; yet no Pope has been brought to renounce it, they will not quit claim.

When they departed from the infallibility of the Pope, they fought to place it in their General Councils: but thefe are not always in being; and fo their infallibility muft drop for several ages together; which will not confift with their argument, that God is obliged by his goodnefs, to afford always an outward and living judge and guide to his church. Befides, that inftances are found, where thofe councils they call general, have contradicted one another.

For which reasons, others of them place the infallibility in the church diffusive: but this upon their scheme is indefinite, and the judge of controversy must be fought among numberless individuals, of whom no one is the judge or guide.

XII. Of INFALLIBILITY in the Church.

But there is an infallibility in the church, not perfonal in any one or all of Chriftians put together; for millions of fallibles can never make an infallible. But the infallibility conen the nature of the evidence, which having all the four ma mentioned in the Short Method with the Deifts, cannot pofìibly be false. As you and I believe there is fuch a town as Conftantinople, that there was such a man as Henry VIII. as much as if we had feen them with our eyes: not from the credit of any hiftorian or traveller, all of whom are fallible; but from the nature of the evidence, wherein it is impoffible for men to have confpired and carried it on without contradiction, if it were falfe.

Thus, whatever doctrine has been taught in the church (according to the rule of Vincentius Lirinenfis) femper, ubique, & ab omnibus, is the Christian doctrine; for in this cafe, fuch doctrine is a fact, and having the forefaid marks, must be a true fact, viz. that fuch doctrine was fo taught and received.

This was the method taken in the council called at Alexandria against Arius; it was afked by Alexander the Archbishop who prefided, " Quis unquam talia audivit *?" Who ever heard of this doctrine before? And it being answered by all the Bishops

*Sociates Hift. 1. t. c. 5, Gr.

there affembled in the negative, it was concluded a novel doctrine, and contrary to what had been univerfally received in the Chrif. tian church. Thus every doctrine may be reduced to fact; for it is purely fact, whether such doctrine was received or not.

And a council affembled upon fuch an occasion, stand as evidences of the fact, not as judges of the faith; which they cannot alter by their votes or authority.

A council has authority in matters of discipline in the church; but in matters of faith, what is called their authority, is their atteftation to the truth of fact; which if it has the marks beforementioned, must be infallibly true: not from the infallibility of any or all of the perfons, but from the nature of the evidence, as before is faid.

And this is the furest rule, whereby to judge of doctrines, and to know what the Catholick church has believed and taught, as: received from the Apostles.

And they who refuse to be tried by this rule, who fay, we care not what was believed by the Catholick church, either in former ages or now; we think our own interpretations or criticisms upon fuch a text, of as great authority as theirs; these are justly to be suspected., nay, it is evident that they are broaching fome novel doctrines, which cannot stand this teft. Befides the monstrous arrogance in fuch a pretence, these overthrow the foundation of that fure and infallible evidence upon which Christianity, itself does ftand; and reduce all to a blind enthufiafm.

XIII. Of EPISCOPACY.

But further, Sir, in your fearch after a church, you must not only confider the doctrine, but the government; that is, as I faid before, you must confider the church, not only as a fect, but as a fociety for though every fociety founded upon the belief of fuch tenets, may be called a fect, yet every fect is not a society. Now, a fociety cannot be without government, for it is that which makes a fociety: and a government cannot be without governors. The Apostles were inftituted by Christ the first governors of his church; and with them and their fucceffors he has promised to be to the end of the world. The Apostles did ordain Bishops, as governors in all the churches which they planted throughout the whole world; and thefe Bishops were esteemed the fucceffors of the Apostles each in his own church, from the beginning to this day. This was the current notion and language of antiquity.

Omnes Apoftolorum fucceffores funt. That all Bishops were the fucceffors of the Apoftles. As St. Jerome fpeaks, Epift. ad Evagr. And St. Ignatius, who was conftituted by the Apoftles Bishop of Antioch, falutes the church of the Trallians, 'Ev Tw wλnpaμαтI ἐν ̓Αποςολικῶ χαρακτηρι. In the plenitude of the Apoftolical charafler. Thus it continued from the days of the Apoftles to thofe of John Calvin; in all which time there was not any one church in the whole Chriftian world, that was not epifcopal. But now it is faid by our Diffenters, that there is no need of fucceffion from the Apostles, or those Bishops instituted by them; that they can make governors over themselves whom they lift: and what fignifies the government of the church, fo the doctrine be pure? But this totally diffolves the church as a fociety, the government of which confifts in the right and title of the governor. And as the Apostle fays, "No man taketh this honour to himself, but he that is "called of God, as was Aaron *." And the dispute betwixt him and Korah was not as to any point either of doctrine or worship, but merely upon that of church government. And St. Jude, verfe 11, brings down the fame cafe to that of the church. And reafon carries it as to all focieties. They who will not obey the lawful governor, but set up another in oppofition to him, are no longer of the fociety, but enemies to it, and juftly forfeit all the rights and privileges of it.

Now confidering that all the promises in the Gospel are made to the church, what a dreadful thing muft it be, to be excluded from all thefe!

Befides, the church is called the pillar and ground of the truth, as being a fociety inftituted by Chrift, for the fupport and prefervation of the faith. This no particular church can attribute to itfelf, otherwife than as being a part of the whole: and therefore, as St. Cyprian fays, "Christ made the college of Bishops nu

merous, that if one proved heretical, or fought to devour the "flock, the reft might interpofe for the faving of it." This is equally against letting the whole depend upon one Univerfal Bishop; and against throwing off the whole epifcopate, that is, all the Bishops in the world; which would be a total diffolution of the church as a fociety, by leaving no governors in it; or, which is the fame, fetting up governors of our own head, without any authority or fucceffion from the Apoftles; which is ren

* Heb. v. 4.