having caused the shadow to vanish by the true body which he hath publikely shewed Secondly because God expresly commanded Moses that he should do them whereas he never ordained such-like Images in the Roman Church All that one can conclude from it is that since the Serpent made by the Command of God was nevertheless broken by Hezekiah when the people rendred to it a religious honour it would be very convenient also that Christian Princes and Bishops should take from Churches and publike places the Images of he and she Saints when men begin to worship them though they were neasted there not only as every one knows by humane Authority but Divine Institution But this Consequence doth not favour their Veneration CHAP. XI That the Scripture teacheth not that the Bishop of Rome is the Pontifical Spouse and Monarch of the Vniversal Church nor Authorizes any thing which is founded only upon the Authorities of the Pope 1. THe great and principal Article follows which they esteem alone capable and needful to maintain all the rest viz. the Monarchy and infallibility of the Pope of Rome They endeavour to prove by Scripture that he is the Head Spouse and Monarch of the Universal Church but by reasons so strange and far from all appearance that 't is very easie to finde that 't is their Passion and not their Judgment which hath conceived them For first they assert the Sovereign Pontifex which precided over all the Church of Israel during the time of the Old Testament and that this Type may have its accomplishment under the new Covenant they conclude that there is a Sovereign Pontifex in the Christian Church Heb. 3.2 4.14 5.5 6. 7.26 27. 8.1 2. 9 to the 11. and add that the Pope of Rome is the Monarch of it as if St. Paul the Apostle had not taught us that Jesus Christ is the Sovereign High Priest of his Church or as if this his Priesthood alone had not body and truth enough to accomplish all the figure of the Ancient and as if on the contrary the Unity of the Antient Pontifex did not evidently exclude the pretensions of Rome it being clear that if they have place there will be two High-Priests in the Christian Church against that which was figured in the Judaical where they had but one and finally as if this High-Priesthood ought to belong to the Bishop of Rome rather than to any other supposing that there was one in the Christian Church besides that of our Lord Jesus Christ They have also recourse to that which the Lord promised St. Peter Matth. 16.18.19 to build his Church upon him and to give him the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and the power of binding and unbinding and that which he commanded him three times after his Resurrection John 21.15 16 17. to feed his sheep and to some advantages which he seemeth to have had above the other Apostles Matth. 10.2 Matth. 17.24 as that he is called the first and that the Lord payed Tribute-Money for him and from all this conclude that the Bishop of Reme is the Prince and Sovereign Monarch of the Catholick Church an ill and impertinent reasoning which supposeth falsities and concludes ill For to begin with the last that St. Peter was the Foundation and Monarch of the Church the Prince and King of the Apostles and in sum what you will what is this in common to the Pope at present or with any of his Bredecessours to conclude from one to the other Peter was the Head of the Church the Pope sitting now at Rome is therefore so How many Seas and Abysses must be filled before these two can joyn for they must first prove that St. Peter was at Rome Secondly that he was Bishop of the Roman Church Thirdly that he left the Bishop of Rome all the dignities that he had Now 't is evident that they cannot prove any one of these three Articles by the Holy Scriptures not so much as the first of these which is the important For let Rome be this Babylon from whence St. Peter dated his first Epistle 1 Pet. 5.13 there is no necessity obligeth us to believe it so that to be able to prove a Thesis by Scripture one must not according to them enter into any Proposition in the proof of it which is not in the Scripture it is perfectly clear that the power of the Pope cannot be found in the Scriptures And as for the other two Propositions one that St. Peter was the Bishop of Rome the other that he left all his Dignity to the Bishop of Rome they are infinitely far from all appearance of truth and reason But it sufficeth us for the designe of this Treatise that it cannot be founded upon the Scriptures So then although it saith Thou art Peter and feed my sheep one cannot draw from thence the Monarchy of the Pope But I say moreover that what they presuppose in their discourse viz. that St. Peter was the Master and Prince of the other Apostles is false and cannot be proved by any of those passages which they alledge The Lord said to him Thou art Peter and upon this stone will I build my Church But in what Logick doth that signifie that he should be the Monarch of the Church and the Prince of the Apostles I shall pass by the belief which the most part of the Ancient Fathers and some of our Adversaries have of taking this Stone upon which our Lord promised to build his Church for the Lord himself the Rock or Stone of Ages confessed by St. Peter a August de verbis Dom. See Mat. Serm. 13. Tract 124. in John for his Faith and Confession b. Tract 13. in Epist John D. T. 9. Serm. 22. ex 40. Serm. edit a Serm. p 248. primals l. 2. in Apoc. p. 13.84 c. l. 5. p. 1456. C. Bibi pp. T. 1. Anselm in eum loc Gloss interlin Lyran. Joan. Arbor Theosophia l. 5. c. 5. Alliac concord l. 2. c. 13. c. Hilar. l. 6. de Trin fol. 30. b. col 2. Ambros 6. de Incar Dom. Sacram c. 5. in it Aug. tract 10. in ep John l. tom 9. Auctor and not for the person of St. Peter I will suppose that these words and upon this stone I will build my Church be applied to St. Peter What is it that gives him so much advantage about the foundation of it and upon the Prophets themselves which God raised up at the beginning of Christianity following that which St. Paul saith That we are built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone and what other thing doth it signifie except that in preaching the Gospel they have abolished the Synagogue and founded the Christian Church the new Republike of the Lord his Celestial Kingdom All the advantage which St. Peter had over the other in this respect was that he preached the first of
them all and was the first that layed the foundation of the Church as well among the Jews as Gentiles for it was by his preaching that the three thousand Jews at Jerusalem and the family of the Centurion Cornelius in Cesarea believed the one being the first-fruits of Israel and the other the first fruits of the Gentiles who knoweth not but that is an advantage purely personal proper to St. Peter and incommunicable to any other consisting only in this that he had the honour to preach first the Gospel of Christ and to put his hand first to the building of this Celestial house That which he adds that he would give him the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven and that what he should bind on earth should be bound in Heaven and what he should unbinde on earth should be unbound in Heaven is but reason Serm. in Pentic inter opera Chrysost T. 6. p. 233. a. Chrysost Hom. 54. in Mat. p. 483. e. Hom. 21. lat 20. in Joh. p. 106. d. in Gal. 1. p. 961. f. Bazil Seleuc. Orat. 25. p. 142. 6. Vict. Atioch in Mark c. 3. p. 417. c. Bibl. PP T. 1. John Aurel. l 3. contr Claud. Taurin Bibl. t. 4. PP part 1. p. 586. à Carthusan Ferus Titelman Gorran in eum locum Apoc. 21.14 because he promised him For the honour of building the Church of Christ was founded upon the Apostleship which is writ in these words the which in my judgment signifieth only that he will eestablish Teachers in the Christian Church Eph. 2.20 Acts 2.14.41 Acts 10.5 34 47. to teach men what is truly lawful or unlawful commanded permitted or denied For the Key was the mark of Doctorship amongst the Jews and the Lord makes allusions to it where he saith Luke 11.52 That the Doctors of the Law entertained the Key of Knowledge and the Kingdom of Heaven signifieth every where in the Evangelists the Church of the Messias which is also the sense where this word is used by the * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hebrews both Antient and Modern So that these words I will give thee the Keys of the Kingdom of Heaven promiseth to St. Peter the Charge and Dignity of Doctor or Master as the Jews speak not in the Synagogue but in the Church not in the earthly and carnal Israel but in the Spiritual and Heavenly This binding and unbinding which he adds are the functions of this new and heavenly Doctorship which he promised him For the style in which the Judaical Language runs in which our Saviour then spoke to binde signifieth to forbid something and to unbinde on the contrary to permit and declare that it is lawful from whence it comes that to say a thing is to defend or permit it the Masters of the Jews saying only * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is bound and that is unbound the Lord promised then in sum to St. Peter that he should have in the Kingdom of Heaven that is to say in his Church the Dignity of Doctor to proclaim and declare to the Nations what is truly lawful or unlawful holy or profane unbinding many things which Moses or the Priests of the Gentiles had bound and binding many other things which the vices and follies of men had unbound and all with a wisdom and Authority so ample that Heaven approved all his Doctrines and was the Protector of it Now this dignity is not the Power and Authority of a Monarch nor is it particular to St. Peter the other Apostles having had share with him as it appears clearly both by their Acts and Epistles and namely by the 18th of St. Matthew where the Lord said to them all that which he here said to St. Peter Mat. 18.19 Verily I say unto you all that you shall binde on earth shall be bound in Heaven and all things that you shall unbinde on earth shall be unbound in Heaven Neither can they pretend any particular for St. Peter in that which was commanded him of feeding the sheep of the Lord. For had not the other Apostles also as well as he the charge of feeding common by his testimony to all the Ministers of the word and the commission of all the sheep of the Lord 1 Pet. 5.2 Mark 16.15 2 Cor. 11.28 Preach the Gospel to all Creatures and the care of all the Churches comes upon me from day to day 't is true that the Lord made towards him and repeated this command three times Cyril upon St. John l. 12 64. but as some of the Fathers have very well observed to abolish the failing of his three denials very far from thinking by this means to establish the Monarchy of others Secondly As to this that the Lord being at Capernaum payed the Tribute-money for St. Peter and not for the other of the Apostles that doth not infer any Authority of St. Peters above them For it may be that it proceeded from some other consideration as that the others had already payed it or that they were not present when the Tribute money was demanded of our Saviour or that they were not Inhabitants of Capernaum as St. Peter was who had his family there In brief whatever it be 't is a wonderful Consequence to say Christ hath payed the Tribute-mony for St. Peter therefore St Peter was the Monarch of the Universal Church and the Prince and Lord of the Apostles Thirdly Neither can this be inferred out of that place where Saint Matthew numbring the Apostles saith The first is Simon who is called Peter For a President is the first in his Chamber and a Dean the first in his Assembly nevertheless none can conclude that the President is Lord of the Counsellors in his Chambers or the Dean the Prince of his Brethren I grant that St. Peter either for his age his capacity his zeal or some other consideration hath had the like advantage in the Company of the Apostles he might have been the first of them but yet not the Master much less the Monarch of them Fourthly And that sufficeth to shew that they cannot prove by the Scriptures this marvellous quality which they attribute to the Pope of not being able to err in matters of faith For since all the things which they alledge are grounded upon those things which regard St. Peter who seeth not that they infer nothing for the advantage of the Pope except they prove by the Scriptures that all the right of St. Peter belongs to the Pope that which I think they dare not so much as attempt to shew by the Scriptures Fifthly I say as much of the Opinion of those amongst them who attribute the Infallibility and Sovereignity not to the Pope as at this time the greatest part of their Doctors do but to the Roman Church assembled in the Universal Councel For all which they can draw from the Scriptures in favour of their Opinion speaks of the true Church of Jesus Christ without amusing
Pâ—â—asch 2. p. 96 A. B and 98. B. and 102. D. and Paschal 3 p. 109 c. 110 B. Bibl. PP T. 3. and for the Hereticks in General Chrysost Hom. 87. in Mat. 7 9. D. and Hom. 59. lat 58. in John p. 298. A. Hierom. com 2. in Mich. p. 378. F. and comm in Agg. p. 506. F. Gregro Mvg. Moral in Job l. 18 c. 14. but nevertheless so let it be since they will have it so Shall their fond imagination wrong truth and that under the pretence of thinking to see that in the Scripture which is not there I cannot assure my self of having found there all that which is there divers men have all reasoned in Mathematicks and drawn from the principles of that Sience some conclusions which are not really there But shall it be denied me under the pretence of this to hold this consequence for good and assuredly veritable that the whole is greater then the part that a triangle is bigger then the basis and the Body of a man bigger then his finger but where is the man how stupid soever he be who notwithstanding the paralogisms of Brison and all the other doth not presently see that this arguing is most true and necessary so there are Authors found in natural Philosophy Astrology and Phisick who have discoursed ill phancying to find something in the principles of these Siences which is not there Would not this be not ony injustice but Sottishness or madness to endeavour to peswade us under this pretence that we cannot receive any of the consequences drawn from these principles as certain and necessary nor assure our selves that if a horse sees hears and runs he is then an animal or if a stone hath nothing of sence then it is no animal now we are exactly upon these terms in respect to the Scripture Many have a mind to draw from it by discourse things which it speaks nothing of Gen. 1.16 and the Roman doctors more then all the others who in the two Luminaries which it placeth in the heavens have pretended to find out the power of their Pope to be above the Emperour and his spiritual monarchies in the Faith and qualifications which it attributes to S. Peter and his power to interdict States to depose Princes among animals Act. 10.13 which it represents to us to have been signified to the Apostle in a vision 'T is by the same Logick that they conclude their purgatory from the parable which saith thou shalt not go out till thou hast Mat. 5.2 paid the last farthing and their Sacrifice from the words of the Lord 1 Cor. 11.24 Matt. 26.26 do this and their transubstantiation from the other this is my Body But if their consequences are false and even absurd doth it follow that I cannot assure my self that the Scripture teacheth us that Jesus Christ hath a Body and a soul since it saith that he is a man that it teacheth that he is the God of Israel since it saith he founded the earth in the beginning and that the heavens are the works of his hands and that he was tempted by Israel in the wilderness certainly neither sense nor reason ever offended without some reasons These are saculties naturally right and every one capable of their functions but sometimes they meet with perticular causes which hinders them from acting so For as to sense who knows not that its errors comes either from the indisposition of the Organs from the Scituation of the object or from the quality of the medium which is between them as for example 't is the bilis with which the tongue of a sick man is moistned which makes it taste all meats bitter and to those who have Jaundies 't is also the spreading of that humour which dieth all objects yellow but t is the too great distance from the sun which makes it appear to us much less then it is and which blunts the Angles of a Tower which we see a far off figuring it to us round when it is really square and which makes the two sides of the end of a long Gallery seem to be very neer each other in fine 't is the diversity of the medium through which we see which makes an oare appear to us in the water as if it were bent and crooked when it is really streight except in these and the like cases the eye alwaies to doth its duty faithfully and the other senses likewise do theirs so that it being most easie to know for a truth whether the functions of our senses are so well disposed or not 't is an insupportable error to conclude that we are not able to assure our selves of any one of their reports under pretence that it happens to deceive them when they fail of any one of the conditions necessary to perform their function well Now 't is the same in reason If she concludes wrong 't is certainly because she takes that for a true thing which is not so or that for clear and certain which is obscure and doubtful As when our adversaries conclude from that which the Lord said to St. Peter thou art Peter that their Pope is by right the Monarch of the Christian Church they conclude falsly because they take that for an evident truth in Scripture which doth not so much as appear there viz first that our Lord in these words promiseth the Monarchy of his Church to St. Peter and Secondly that their Pope is the successor of St. Peter in this quality But if these two things which they take for truth were truth then that which they conclude from them must necessarily be so too and he to must be out of his senses who denies the consequences of them And this necessary connexion of propositions with their conclusions is a work not of the mind and reasoning of man but of the will of God as S. Austin expresly remarkes The truth of consequences says he and connexions which propositions have one with another hath not been instituted but considered and remarked by men to be able either to learn or teach it for it is perpetual and divinely established in the reason of the things themselves for as he who counts the degrees of time doth not make them himself and he who shewes the scituation of places the nature of animals of plants or of Stones doth not shew the things instituted by men and he who shews us the stars and their motions shews us nothing made and established by any man in like manner he who saith when the consequence is false 't is not possible but the thing from whence it follows should be false also speaks most truly and doth not make the thing to be so but only demonstrates that it is so †Aug. T. 3. l. 2. de doctr clic c. 32. From whence it comes that he observes elsewhere that no man in disputeing is reduced to a false conclusion unless he has first granted something false from whence this conclusion
That God is Infinite Jerem. 23 24. 2. Kings 8.27 and 2. Paralipom 2.6 and 6 18. Psal 138 Heb. 139 7. Esa 66.1 do not I fill heaven and earth saith the Lord. Acts. 7.47 48. The most high dwelleth not in Temples made with hands as the Prophet saith Heaven is my throne and the earth is my foot stoole what house will you build me saith the Lord or where is the place of my rest Job 11.7 8 9. Shalt thou by chance find out the ways of God and shalt thou at length find out the Almighty he is higher then heaven and what wilt thou do he is deeper then Hell and how wilt thou know him his measure is longer then the earth and larger then the Sea 4 That the nature and judgements of God are incomprehensible Rom. 11.33 Exod. 33.20 1 Tim. 1.17 O profound riches of the wisdome and knowledge of God! how incomprehensible are his judgments and his waies past finding out for who is he that hath known a thought of the Lord or who hath been his Counselour 1. Tim. 6.15 16. The blessed and onely powerful King of Kings and Lord of Lords c. Hath only immortality and inhabits an inaccessible light the which no man hath or can see 5. That God is Soveraginly good Exod. 34.6 7. Lord God ruler Merciful Pitiful Patient and of great compassion and true who keeps mercys for thousands who takes a way iniquity and sin Psal 135. Heb. 136. 1. The Lord is good and his mercy indureth Eternally Matth. 19.17 There is one good viz. God or as our bibles are translated there is none good but one viz. God 6. That God is most just Jerem. 12.1 In truth Lord if I dispute with thee thou art just Psal 10. Heb. 11. 8. The Lord is just and hath loved justice his face hath seen equity Psal 118. Heb. 119. 137. Lord thou art just and thy judgment is right 7. That God is Infinitely wise Psalm 146. Heb. 147. 5. Our Lord is great and his Vertue great and there is no numbring of his wisdome Rom. 11.33 O profound riches of the Wisdome and knowledge of God Rom. 16.27 To God onely wise be honor and glory for ever through Jesus Christ 8. That God is all powerful Gen. 17.1 Gen. 1â— 14 35.11 and 48.3 God appeared to Abraham and said to him I am the Lord all powerful Matth. 19.26 To God all things are possible Luk. 1.37 Nothing shall be impossible to God Ephe. 3.20 To him who by his power which Acts in us can do in all abundance above all that which we can ask or think to him I say be glory in the Church in Jesus Christ in all ages world without end Amen 9. That God hath created all things Gen. 1.1 Acts 14.14 God created in the beginning the heaven and the earth Acts. 4.24 Lord who hath made the heavens and the earth the Sea and all things which are there Acts. 17.24 God hath made the World and all things which are in it Rom. 11.36 Of him and by him and for him are all things to him then be glory eternally Amen Gen. 18.25 Job 38.41 Psal 103. Heb 104. 21. 135. Heb. 136. 25. 144. Heb 145. 15 16. 146. Heb 147. 8 9. Prov. 16.1.4.33 20.24 21.1 Isa 45.6 Jer. 10 11 12 13 23. Amos 3.6 Matt. 6.26.28 29 30. Ephe. 3.9 God hath created all 10. That God governes all things according to his good pleasure Matt 10.29 Are not two Sparrows sold for a farthing nevertheless one of them shall not fall to the ground without your father And even the hairs of your head are all numbred Acts. 17.25 26 28. God gives to all life breath and all things and hath made all humane kind of one to inhabit the whole space of the earth determining ordained seasons and the bounds of their habitation c. in him we live have motion and are Rom. 11.36 From him and by him and for him are all things Esa 45.6 7 I am the Lord and there is none other forming light and creating darkness making peace and creating evil I am the Lord doing all these things CHAP. III. Of the Creation nature and corruption of man 1. That God created man at the beginning after his own Image GEn. 1.26 27. Furthermore God said let us make man according to our Image and similitude and let him have dominion over the fishes of the Sea and over the Birds of the heavens Gen. 2.7 8 15 17. and over the beasts and over all the earth and over every creeping thing creeping upon the earth God then created man according to his own Image and likeness he created him according to the Image of God 2. That man is fallen from his happiness by his disobedience You have the History of it in the third Chapter of Gen. and 7 Eccles 30. God hath made man right and he hath intangled himself with infinite questions 3. That by the disobedience of the first man all his posterity have been subjected to sin and death Rom. 5.12 By one man sin entered into the world and by sin death And so death is come upon all men in that all have sinned 1 Cor. 15.22 All die in Adam 4. That all men are from their nature defiled by sin and subject to death Rom. 3.23 All have sinned and have need of the glory of God Eph. 2.23 We have all conversed sometimes in the concupiscences of our flesh executing the desires of the flesh and of our thoughts and were from nature children of wrath as others and in verse the fifth we were dead in sin 5. That this corruption is in men from their birth Psal 50. Heb. 51. Behold truly I have been conceived in iniquity and my mother hath conceived me in sin John 3.6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh Job 14.4 Who can make man clean who is conceived of filthyness is it not thou only CHAP. IV. Of the Mediator of his person and natures 1. That God by his mercy hath sent his Son Jesus Christ into the world to save humane kinde JOhn 3.16 God hath so loved the world that he hath given his onely Son to the end that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life Rom. 8.3 That which was impossible to the Law in as much as it was weak through the flesh God having sent his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh c. 1 Cor. 1.30 Jesus Christ hath been made to us by God wisdome justice sanctification and redemption 2. That the Son sent for us John 3 13. comp with John 662. 1 Cor. 10.9 subsisted before he took humane flesh in the womb of the Virgin John 1.1 2. In the beginning was the Verb or the word as our Bibles have it translated and the Verb was with God and the Verb was God he was in the beginning with God and vers the