of that Church which he is the Head of Indeed it is said That the man of Sin is the same with him who is stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and he is expressed to be one who denies the Father and the Son which cannot be affirmed of him who is the great pretender to infallibility To which we reply That tho' he owns them in words yet in reality he denies them by authorizing that Worship which is peculiar to them to be given to created Beings Tho' a Subject does verbally own his True Sovereign yet if he pays that homage to another which is due only to him he does in truth deny him and will be treated by the Law as such a person Actions are more faithful indications of the mind than verbal expressions As all this argues the agreeablenss of the Character of the Man of Sin to the great pretender to Infallibility So we know of no other to which it can with so much reason be applied Three are pretended to have an interest in it Caius Caligula Simon Magus and a Jew of the Tribe of Dan. As for Caius Caligula He cannot be the person Tho' he was a Man of Sin yet he was not the Man which the Apostle had his eye upon He was come and gone before the writing of the Epistle to the Thessalonians Baronius Capel Appen aed Histor Aposto p. 3913. which was about the end of the Ninth or the beginning of the Tenth year of Glaudius his Successor and we must not so interpret S. Paul as to make him prophesy of that which was already past The same exception lies against Simon Magus He was in his altitude and greatness about the beginning of Claudius His flying in his fiery Chariot and being brought down headlong by the Devotion of S. Peter are usually believed to have happened about the Second Year of his Reign about Eight Years before the Prophecy was extant The Man of Sin was hindred from appearing in those times by the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is the Secular Power of Rome as Tertullian S. Chrysostome and S. Austine assert The first calls it Romanum Statum the second 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The third Romanum Imperium This was not taken away till some Hundreds of Years after and then the great pretender to Infallibility did display himself in his proper colours Indeed the Mystery of Iniquity began to work in the Apostles dayes There were then many Antichrists As Christ had his Types to represent him before his Manifestation in our Nature So had his great Antagonist In the number of these Simon Magus may be reckoned but to make him the person which the Apostle has in his eye in his prediction concerning the Man of Sin cannot be reconciled to any good reason Lastly it is said That a Jew of the Tribe of Dan is the Person aimed at by the Apostle who will abolish the Mass oppress the Church subdue the whole World in Three Years and a half and then presently shall be the comeing of Christ to the last judgment But this is as easily denied as affirmed There is not the least intimation of any such matter in the Holy Scripture Gen. 49. Num. 2. Jer. 8. Rev. 2. The Texts which have been sometimes produced are so irrelative That the wisest of our Adversaries are ashamed to alledge them The Person which the Apostle aims at must be a Christian in Profession who in reality makes a great defection from the Doctrine of our Saviour which cannot be asserted of a Jew who is and was always an open and professed enemy to it There is an impossibility in the thing That one should subdue all the World in Three Years and a half It would be very difficult for him to visit every part tho' very well mounted in so short a time much more to conquer it In the times immediately preceding the last day there will be worldly joy in the greatest altitude Eating and Drinking Marrying and giving in Marriage which cannot be consistent with that Sorrow which must be an inevitable product of the universal oppression and tyranny of an insatiable Conqueror It does not appear That there is any preparation for any such matter in any part of the Universe The Tribe of Dan for any thing we know is utterly extinct There is not a Jew now that takes his denomination from it It is strange That the Mystery of Iniquity should begin to work in the Apostles daies and now altogether cease to make any progress The infernal Spirit is as active as ever It is his chief design to set up the person whom the Apostle describes He cannot be imagined to be wanting in his endeavours to accomplish so grateful a purpose The Jews to requite the Advancers of this Hypothesis say That Antichrist shall be begotten in Rome and his name called Armillus Buxt Rab. Lex in voc Armillus Hitherto I have considered the first Opinion That the Church of Rome must be our Guide The Second is That this priviledge belongs to every Man's Reason By the Reason of every Man we must understand That Light which every one has in his Intellect Tho' this be the immediate Guide yet it is not the Supreme and is no farther valuable for conduct in Religion but so far as it is conformable to the Supreme Rule This rule is the revelation of God contained in the Scripture This was given to be a Lamp unto our feet and a light unto our paths Those Texts which respect our Salvation and promise to us a security against the revenger of blood like the Cities of Refuge in Palestine are placed upon Hills and made very conspicuous There is no need of Four Hundred Camels as the Jews speak loaden with Commentaries to give them light Matters of Faith and Worship necessary to the enjoyment of a future state of happiness are clear in them When it is said That every Man must be guided by his own reason if the meaning is That he must be ruled by the light of his Intellect from whatsoever Topic it is derived without any limitation many ill consequences will be unavoidable 1. Such conduct will necessarily produce an effect very disagreeable to the mind of the Supreme Being If it be allow'd there will be as great a diversity of opinions and practices in Religion as there is of tempers educations and interests These usually mould the Intellect and make the most prevailing impressions upon it From hence commonly proceeds the Light which the generality pretends unto This variety will certainly suffocate the Spirit of Christian love Men in their several apartments are naturally propense to meditate their own defence and the justification of their separation They usually believe That the most compendious way to it is to weaken the reputation of those who differ from them This creates on both sides the hottest jealousie the most sinister interpretation of each others actions an exchange of the greatest unkindness and an utter
who by a Divine appointment notwithstanding his notorious miscarriage was to joyn with the rest of the Apostles in teaching all Nations he is commanded by Christ as many times to feed his flock as he had denyed him All this will make it evident That the Church of Rome has no promise made to her in the Scripture of Infallibility As for Universal Tradition That will be as hard to be found as a Scripture-promise It imports the delivery of this doctrin from one age to another ever since the Apostles times and an acknowledgment and reception of it in all places by all true Christians The following particulars cannot be reconciled with such a Tradition Many Heresies did emerge in the first Ages by which the Church was exceedingly disquieted Yet we never read in any authentick Record that the Bishop of Rome did summon those which adhered to them to appear in his infallible Consistory If any such Judicatory had been then known it is incredible he should so far neglect his duty as not to attempt the reducing of them to a sober and orthodox mind by his unerring Authority The Bishops of that Church lived so near the Apostolical Age that they could not be ignorant of the power which Christ had left with them and they were so pious and good that it would be a manifest injury to their memory to think that they would not exert it in matter of such importance If these Hereticks were summoned altho' no such thing is rècorded and did refuse to submit to the Authority which is pretended it is unaccountable how it comes to pass that Irenaeus Epiphanius Theodoret who have composed Catalogues of Heresies with which the Church was then infested should be so forgetful as not to reckon That in the number which those were guilty of who would not acquiesce in the supposed Authority This is now reputed an errour of the first magnitude All others are esteemed but trifles in comparison If it had been so accounted then it would not have been passed by in so profound a silence The African Bishop's denial of a compliance with Sozimus Boniface and Celestine Cyprian's refusal of a submission to Stephanus Irenaeus's opposing the decree of Victor do manifestly declare That they knew nothing of the Tradition which is pretended Had they been acquainted with it their integrity would not have suffered them to be engaged in so much disrespect towards the Church of Rome When Tertullian and Vincentius Lirinensis apply themselves to prescribe the best method how to prevent the spreading of Heresie they speak not one syllable of an infallible Judicatory at Rome If it had been known in their days no doubt they would not have failed to mention it as the most sovereign expedient If a Man sets himself to write a Book concerning the best way how to cure the Plague and knows of one infallible remedy it is not consistent with the rule of common honestly to pass it by in silence and to entertain his Reader with some uncertain conjectures It was anciently decreed That Controversies should be determined in the Province where they did arise If it had been believed That there was then such an Oracular Judge as is now asserted this had been a very unjust decree What can be more injurious than to oblige men to acquiesce in the decision of those who may impose upon them when they might if left to their liberty have had recourse to one in whom there is no possibility of deception A belief of this infallibility would have drawn such respects upon the Bishop of Rome That no other would have dared to account himself his equal and yet S. Cyprian treats him in such terms as plainly import a parity He stiles him Frater Collega Co-episcopus S. Jerome says That all Bishops are of an equal merit and the same Priesthood wheresoever they are whether at Rome Eugubium Constantinople Rhegium c. In the Communicatory Letters no more respect is expressed to him than to others The primacy which is some times spoken is not of jurisdiction but order He living in the City where the seat of the Emperour was when he did convene with other Bishops some regard was signified upon the account of his relation to that place but none upon the account of any Infallibility and Oecumenical jurisdiction which he was believed to be invested with When applications were made to him by those who were in distress it was not done with an opinion That he was inspired with an unnerring Spirit to determine their case but because he was of the same Sentiment with them and had great advantages by reason of his residence in the Imperial City to procure their relief What he did in favour of such persons as S. Athanasius and Chrysostome was not done juridically but declaratively He did not act as an authorized Judge but a sincere and resolved Friend to that Truth for which they were oppressed The infirmity of these pleas for Infallibility makes the Defenders at last'to fly to the Motives to Credibility as the securest Sanctuary The chief of them are Antiquity Diuturnity Amplitude uninterrupted succession of Bishops agreement in Doctrin with the ancient Church union of Members holiness of Doctrin efficacy of Doctrin holiness of Life the glory of Miracles If we should enter upon a particular examination of these they would be so far from proving the Church of Rome infallible that they will not amount to prove her a True Church The Church of Rome in those points which are peculiar to her is not so ancient as is pretended The novelty of those things in which she differs from the reformed Church is notoriously manifest as Supremacy the Worship of Images Transubstantiation c. When she has screw'd every thing to the highest pin it will not appear That any point of difference was before the Mystery of Iniquity began to work Diuturnity may with as much efficacy induce us to believe That the Mahometans are a True Church for they have been a thousand years in the world much longer than some Articles in the Roman Creed Amplitude may as well prove the Community of Rome Apostatical as Apostolical Antichristian as Christian Antichrist is described as sitting upon many waters and those Waters are interpreted people and multitudes Rev. 17.1 15. Those who have taken the greatest care to survey the World assert That if it be divided into thirty parts nineteen are inhabited by Polytheists Of the eleven that remain six be Jews and Mahometans Of the space which is left the greatest part is possessed by those who refuse a submission to the Bishop of Rome as Protestants Greeks Nestorians Jacobites He who takes a deliberate view of the vast body of the first in Poland Transylvania Hungary Germany Sweden Denmark Britany France and Ireland Of the second in Achaia Epirus Macedon Thrace Bugaria Walachia Podolia Moscovia Russia Natolia Syria Of the third in Assyria Mesopotamia Parthia Media India Tartaria Of the fourth in
Apostle says That the very burning their bodies without the Camp was a Type of him Heb. 13.11 12. for the bodies of those beasts whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high Priest for sin are burnt without the Camp Therefore Jesus also that he might sanctifie the people with his own blood suffered without the Gate There was nothing in the ceremonial constitution less probable to be in the number of the Types of the Law than this circumstance of place The mactation has a more obvious correspondence with the design of our Redeemer And if that which has the least appearance of being in that number was notwithstanding prefigurative and typical much more that which has a greater Now I have considered Christ under the notion of a Sacrifice In the next place if we look upon him as a Ransome it will be evident that what he suffered was in our stead By Sin we brought our selves into a state of bondage under an obligation to undergo the penalty of the Law The sentence of condemnation was denounced against us and we juridically bound to suffer In order to the redeeming of us from this condition Jesus Christ has been pleased to lay down a sufficient price in our stead agreeable to the expectation of the Law This is stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which includes both a commutation and a compensation It was laid down in the place of that which was due from us Our Blessed Lord redeemed us from the Curse of the Law by being made a curse He suffered that which was a valuable consideration and did answer all the ends of the legal Sanction The Socinians to disappoint the strength of this Argument say That the word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not taken properly Moses is said to be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and yet he laid down no price when he redeemed the Israelites out of Aegypt Every proper price is paid to some body It could not be paid to God because he procured it and those who are redeemed by it are bought for his service He for whom the redeemed are purchased and who procures the price of redemption doth not use to receive it A price in a proper sence would destroy the nature of remission To which I reply 1. If 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 be not taken properly then the blood of Christ is stiled a price only because the effusion of it intervenes before we are delivered from our bondage as a price doth altho' it hath no such influence as a price upon our redemption And if so then some reason ought to be given why our redemption is attributed more to the blood and death of Christ than to his Doctrin Miracles Promises the blood of Martyrs All these have an influence upon our Salvation of the same nature with that which Crellius attributes to the blood of Christ The Doctrin of Christ doth shew us the way to it His Miracles confirm the truth of that way His Promises excite us to walk in it The blood of Martyrs and their Heroick Patience eminently conduce to the establishment of our Faith If the blood of Christ did not contribute to our redemption in some peculiar way which is not common to these things why is it never attributed to them 2. Moses is stiled 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Act. 7.37 because he was a Type of the true Redeemer and the blood of the Paschal Lamb a Type of the price of redemption which he laid down It is no good consequence because Moses did not pay a price properly so called therefore Christ did not The similitude betwixt the figure and the thing prefigured must not be extended beyond the bounds intended in the institution to every punctilio Jonah in the Fish's belly was a Type of Christ in the grave Because Jonah was alive it doth not follow That Christ in the grave was not dead The Brazen Serpent when it was lifted up was a Type of Christ Crucified From thence we must not infer That Christ's blood was not shed upon the Cross because none did slow from the Brazen Serpet 3. The price of our redemption was paid unto god He held us captive The Apostle says 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 we were kept as prisoners in a garrison under the Law Gal. 3. v. 23. By whose warrant we were committed to this prison is expressed in the precedent verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The Scripture hath concluded or shut up all under sin This Warrant was written with God's own hand Parallel to this is what is expressed in the Epistle to the Romans God hath shut up all under disobedience c. 11.32 We were imprisoned for our delinquency and by a divine appointment under an obligation to suffer punishment 4. Tho' God procures the price and the redeemed are ransomed for his service yet it doth not follow That the price was not paid to him When a Subject violates the Law of his Prince and by his enormous deportment precipitates himself into a state of thraldom and it cannot be reconciled with the interest of the community and the immutable rule of justice to set him at liberty without satisfaction first made to the Law the Prince out of his benignity may contrive how this may be done and when it is done accept it and release the person with a design that he may be in capacity to serve him 5. The price of Redemption properly taken doth not destroy the nature of Pardon and Remission He on whom the Pardon is conferred contributes nothing of his own towards the meriting of it The debt is cancelled without any payment made by him to the Creditor Forgiveness is an entire act of Divine Benignity It is no diminution of the bounty of Heaven to make choice of such a way to do it in as hath a consistence with Wisdom and Justice There is more grace expressed in pardoning in and thro' Christ than in pardoning without him Immediate Remission is but a single favour Remission in and thro' Christ a double For God doth not only pardon sin but give his own Son for the procuring of it in such a method as contributes no inferiour degree of glory to every attributed in the Divine Essence and is equally advantageous to the transgressour All this duely considered will evidence That our Blessed Lord suffered in our stead 3. By what He suffered in our stead the damage done by sin is repaired and the mind of the Supreme Rector fully appeased and reconciled unto us upon the terms of the New Covenant The damage is repaired By punishment Laws are vindicated and their just authority asserted The greater the punishment is the clearer is the vindication There cannot be a greater penalty than That which was suffered by the Son of God Penalties are estimated according tot he dignity of the person who suffers It is a higher punishment for a Prince to have marks of disgrace fastned upon him than for a Peasant Our Blessed Lord infinitely transcending all
exercise the Ministerial function imployed Peter to Preach and by his Sermon at the Third Hour converted Three thousand at the Ninth hour Five Thousand He held the Angels of the Asian Churches in his right hand and out of his mouth went a two-edged sword the Sword of the Spirit namely the Word of God All this is very agreeable to the nature of a day wholly devoted to Religion 4. The Holy Apostles and Disciples Upon the First of the Week when the Disciples came together to break Bread Paul preached to them Act. 20.7 Here are actions very suitable to the design of a Sabbath Preaching and Administring the Holy Sacrament The Time when these actions were performed is the First of the Week This was a constant custom we never read that the Apostle in any place where he found none but Disciples did upon the old Sabbath communicate with them in those Ordinances which the Gospel has appointed Now as touching a Collection for the Saints as I have given order to the Churches of Galatia so do ye Vpon the first of the week let every one of you lay up by him in store 1 Cor. 16.1 2. The duty here enjoyned is a Collection for the Saints The Apostle did design That it should be very liberal according to the estate of every Man Why he should wave the second third fourth fifth day of the Week and pitch upon the First for the doing of this generous and pious Work cannot be conceived except upon the First of the Week the Disciples of Christ use to meet and be engaged in such Religious performances as have a tendency to excite the mind to Christian liberality These were the thoughts of S. Chrysostome Hom. 43. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 There was an idoneity and fitness in the day to dispose and lead them to the acts of Charity This custom was not only amongst the Corinthians but all other Christians The Epistle is addressed to all who in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ 1 Cor. 1.2 and it was not only upon one or two First days but 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the First day of every Week There remaineth therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the keeping a Sabbath to the people of God For he that is entred into his rest he also hath ceased from his works as God did from his Heb. 4.9 10. These words are directed to the Hebrews who were inclinable thro' the efficaey of former impressions to disvalue the institutions of the Gospel That the Apostle might prevail with them to yield a chearful conformity to those appointments He demonstrates That Christ is more valuable than Moses and stiles their deserting the Gospel a departure from the living God and cites Psalm 95. which has a peculiar aspect upon the state of the Church under the Messias In it are described his Disciples under these names the People of his pasture the Sheep of his hand Their solemn meeting to Worship O come let us worship the duties performed at this meeting as Prayer Let us kneel before the Lord our maker v. 6. Singing of Psalms Let us make a joyful noise unto him with Psalms v. 2 3. Hearing the word if you will hear his voice v. 7. a particular day on which all these duties are to be performed To day if you will hear This day being intended for a Sabbath at which time all spiritual advantages are administred which tend to the bringing the Soul into truest satisfaction and rest an exhortation is given to the People not to harden their hearts as the Israelites did in the provocation lest they be deprived of this rest as the Israelites were of theirs in the land of Canaan Now because there are several sorts of rests recorded in the Scripture The heavenly rest in the world to come the rest of the old Sabbath rest in the land of Canaan the Apostle makes it manifest that it is none of these which the Psalmist means but the rest of a Sabbath under the Gospel Not the heavenly for the rest here spoken is confined to a certain day v. 7. Whereas the rest above is every day without interruption Not the rest of the old Sabbath for that was at the beginning when the works were finished from the Creation of the World But the rest mentioned by the Psalmist is some future thing under the Gospel as I have sworn if they shall enter Not the Rest in the land of Canaan If Jesus had given them rest then he would not afterwards have spoken of another day From these premises it is concluded there remaineth therefore 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the keeping a Sabbath day to the people of God under the Gospel And that we may know this Sabbath is the Resurrection-day and by consequence the First of the Week it is added for he which entred into his rest hath ceased from his works as God did from his God the Father upon the Last of the Week ceased from his works and made it a day of rest unto his people Therefore God the Son has done the like with the First of the Week he then putting a period to his state of Humiliation and ceasing from his labour and trouble which he did undergo in the accomplishment of the work of our redemption I was in the Spirit upon the Lord's day Rev. 1.10 By the Lord's day we can understand no less than a day appointed by our Blessed Lord and devoted to his Honour and Worship This day must necessarily be the First of the Week For S. John in expressing this circumstance of Time designs a credit to his relation and therefore must necessarily mean some day which was very well known by this name at the writing of the Revelation It is manifest by Ignatius who was his contemporary That the common name then given to the First of the Week was 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 This day God was pleased to signalize by a communication of the Holy Ghost in some extraordinary measures S. John was in the Spirit upon it In the words there is an allusion to the manner of speaking amongst the Hebrews who say that a man besides the Soul which he is ordinarily endued with has another Spirit given to him upon the Sabbath which they stile 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an excellent Soul Manass Ben. Is reconc Buxt Syna Jud. c. 11. p. 288. Such allusions we have in the very Context The Seven Spirits v. 4. have a plain aspect upon the Seven Angels which the Jews say do constantly attend the throne of God And the Governours of the Asian Churches are called Angels with respect to the Rulers in the Synagogues which were known by that name 5. The testimony of the following ages He who consults the Writings which are extant will meet with these four Things which being laid together will amount to what has been asserted 1. That the First of the Week was owned by Christians as a Day of Worship 2. As a Sabbath