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rather, if you reflect a little upon what (a) I mentioned before from S. Paul, Eph. 2. 20. who tells the Ephefians, that they were built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jefus Christ himself being the chief corner stone. Where you fee the Apoftles are all faid to have had the Church built upon them as Founders of it, no less than S. Peter, though he, it is confefs'd, had the Honour to be the firft beginner of it, and fo to have it built upon him before the reft. Now, does it's being built upon each of them, prove that every one had a Supremacy over all the other Apoftles. This you cannot pretend, and if not, it will be impoffible ever to prove, that the fame Expreffion will confer upon St. Peter, what it will by no means confer upon Them. Your other Obfervation is, That Chrift, to her the Unity of the Church, ordered, by his own Authority, that one Man fhould be the Center, or Original of that very Unity. Had the poor Vindicatar render'd these words, as you have done, it troubles me to think, what a fevere Rebuke he must have expected for his pains. It would certainly have been no lefs than a Falfification, a Caft of his Art, and a plain forfeiture of the Name of Philalethes. But I make no Recrimination; but only beg to know, upon what Authority you render Originem, Center, rather than Beginning, or firft Foundation of that Unity? That S. Peter, who was but one, did after our Saviour, lay the firft Foundation of the Church, is acknowledg'd on all Hands. That this was purposely ordered by our Saviour, fay's St. Cyprian, to fhew its Unity as beginning from one, Ab uno incipientem; but how this fhews S. Peter to have been then look'd upon, as the conftant permanent Center of that Unity in all

(a) Ibid.

Ages

Ages, is not to be comprehended. And it is much easier for you to suppose, than to undertake the proof of it. Nor could any thing agree more exactly to my Senfe of the Promife made to S. Peter, that upon him fhould the Church be built, as he laid the first foundation of it. For fo it did certainly ab uno incipere, begin from one, which it would not have done, if this Apoftle had been only the Supreme. Governour, inftead of being under Chrift, the firft Founder of it. Whence it follows, that S. Cyprian, as here quoted by your felf, inftead of being against me, is apparently on my fide, and as exprefs to my purpose as needs to be defired.

R. C. Pray obferve what Rufinus quotes Origen for. Cap. vi. p. 639 Petro cum fumma rerum de pafcendis ovibus traderetur,& fuper ipfum,velut fuper Petram, fundaretur Ecclefia; When the chief Power of feeding theSheep was given to Peter,and the Church was built upon him as upon a Rock p. 22.

C. E. Will you admit Origen then to be an Evidence in the Cafe? I thought his Teftimony, though allowed of by others, would by no means pafs mufter with you.

R. C. How came you to think fo?

C. E. Because I find in your following Tract about Tranfubftantiation, it was judged requifite, that this fame Origen, when produced againft you, fhould be thruft from the Bench for an Heretick, and fo no competent Witness for Mr. L. p. 191.

R. C. But here he is for us.

C. E. That indeed alters the Cafe. And if you please, he fhall be heard. But pray, what would you infer from his Teftimony?

R. C. First, That S. Peter had the Chief Power given to him, and then, that he is owned to be the Rock, on which the Church was built. G

C. E!

C. E. The latter of thefe Pleas I have juft now confidered, and have fhewn, that this Priviledge of being the Rock on which the Church was built belongs to S. Peter, much more clearly, as he was the firft Founder of the Church, which he undoubtedly was, than as fuppofed to be the Supreme Ruler of it, which he in truth was not. And this muft ftand for right, till you can prove the contrary; which will be long enough. As to the other, the Cheif Power, here faid to be given him, that depends only upon a turn of your own Pen. For the words, as produced by your felf, are Summa rerum de pafcendis ovibas, The Chief Power, fay you, of Feeding the Sheep. But another Man would fay, and with greater reafon, The Principal Care, or the Sum of the Bufinefs, of Feeding the Sheep. And what becomes then of your Authority from Rufinus? S. Peter had the First and Chief Care committed to him, as he was to be the Firft Builder of the Church; and I am much mistaken, if any more can be drawn out of these words. But now let us hear what Origen himself speaks, as to S. Peter's Supremacy, and fee whether he owns any fuch Paramount Authority conferred upon him, by our Saviour's Promife of building his Church upon him ( a ) Confeffus eft autem, Tu es Chriftus; quod nefciebant Judæi, &c. He confefled, Thou art the Chrift:

which the Jews did not know: And he did not only confefs Thou art the Chrift; but what is more, The Son of the living God. And a little after, Blessed art thou Simon the Son of Jonah, for flesh and blood bath not revealed this unto thee, but my Father which is in Heaven. And I say unto thee; Thou art Peter, and upon this Rock will I build my Church, and the Gates of Hell fhall not prevail against it. Perhaps

(a) Orig. in S, Matt. 16. Edit. Jo, Exig,

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if we also fhould fsay what Peter faid, Thou art Christ the Son of the living God, not Flesh and Blood revealing it to us, but the Father who is in Heaven enlightning our Mind, we shall be Peter, and obtain the fame Bleffednefs with him, by means of our Confeffion like his Confeffion. But then it is not Flesh and Blood that reveals to us Jefus to be the Chrift, the Son of the living God, but the Father who is in Heaven, when our Converfation is in Heaven, and is worthy of the Revelation of our heavenly Father. If therefore we by the Revelation as we faid of the Father, confeffing Jefus to be the Chrift the Son of the living God, (a) hall be made Peter, it fhall in like manner be faid to us by God the Word: Thou art Peter, and upon this Rock I will build my Church, &c. Petra enim est omnis qui imitator eft Chrifti: For every one that is a Follower of Christ is a Rock. From whence it is plain, that if Origen held Peter to be the Rock in your Senfe, fo as to be fupream Governour of the Church, he at the fame time fhews you how we may all be fo too; and then you will have fuch a multitude of Supremes, that his Supremacy will prove little worth.

R. C. Optatus Milevitanus ftiles him truly Head of all the Apoftles, p. 23.

C. E. And fo he might be call'd without a Supremacy over them, if confider'd either as (b)

(a) Fa&i fuerimus Petrus.

(b) St. Chryfoftom fays St. Paul went up to him, as to one that was elder, In Gal. 1.18. And though Baronius pleads from Epiphanius that St. Andrew was elder than be, yet at the fame time he acquaints us with a Paffage of this fame St. Chryfoftom, cited by St. Metaphraftes, which exprefly declares that Peter was the elder: Pofterior Petro in vitam ingreffus eft Andreas, &c. Martyrol, in Nov. 30. Atati de latum eft, quia Petrus fenior erat. B. Hieron. c. Jovin. 1. i. c. 17. Antecederet confeffione quia antecedebat ætate, Caffian. de Incarnat. Dom. 1. 3. c. 12. G 2

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the eldeft amongst them, or as the firft call'd of them, as before I have done; I fhall have occasion to fhew he was. He might upon either of these accounts have fome fort of Pre-heminence amongst the Apofties, and have a peculiar Title of Precedence, and yet be very far from a fupreme Jurifdiction over the reft.

R. C. St. Chryfoftom tiles him the Head of all the Apoftolical Choir, Ibid.

C. E. So I have told you, he ftiles St. Paul (a) the Leader and Prefident of the Choir of Saints; and fays there is (b) none equal to him; which bids as fair for an univerfal Supremacy as the other. Aş St. Jerome alfo calls him (c) Magifter Ecclefie, the Mafter of the Church.

R. C. St. Cyril of Alexandria, St. Epiphanius, and St. Cyril of Ferufalem, call him the Prince and Ruler of the Apostles, Ibid.

C. E. So you fay. But firft I must beg leave to tell you, the Chief and Fore-man or Leader of the Apoftles they do indeed call him, but that they call him the Prince and Ruler of them, does not appear from any thing you have cited from them, as might fo eafily be fhewn, that I perfuade my felf you will not attempt to maintain the contrary. Yet till you not only attempt, but effectually do it, they will none of them ftand you in any ftead. Whereto let me add, that Maximus Taurinenfis fpeaking of St. Peter and St. Paul ftiles them both (d) without any manner of Diftinction, Gloriofiffimos Chriftianæ fidei principes, moft glorious Princes of the Chriftian Faith; and again, (e) Ecclefiarum omnium reverendiffimos Patres, the moft Reverend Fathers of all the Churches,

(a) In Rom. 16. p. 240. (b) In 2 Tim. p. 367. (6) Con. Jovin. 1. 1. c. 4. (d) Homil. 1. in Nat. B Pet, & Paul, p. 228, 229. (e) As also they are called Eccl. Principes Hom. 5. p. 231.

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