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L. That is for not adhering to the Head and Universal Monarch of the Church.

G. No, my Lord, it is that Pretence in the Church of Rome has been the great Caufe of thefe Divisions. It has procured Peace in the Church, juft as fetting up an Univerfal Monarchy would in the World, that is, fill it with more Confufion and Bloodshed than ever was in it, or could otherwife poffibly be. For which reafon God has appointed no Univerfal Monarch in the Church more than in the State. For as Gregory the Great faid to John Bishop of Conftantinople (who, upon the Seat of the Empire being Tranflated thither, fet up for an Univerfal Supremacy in the Church) If the Church should come to Depend upon One, it must fuddenly fall. And St. Cyprian laid, That therefore Chrift made the College of Bishops numerous, that if one should fall or turn Heretical, the reft might interpofe for the faving of the Flock: For he fays, there is but one Flock, and one Epifcopat, of which every Bishop has the whole in Partnership with the reft. Epifcopatus Unus eft, cujus d'Singulis in Solidum pars tenetur. This was the frame of the Church in his Days, and before from the Apoftles; this was the very State of the Apostles themselves, who thus fhared of the Apoftolat, the whole of which was given to each, in Partnership, or in Common with the rest.

L. This then is your Notion of the Church that as all Nations upon the Earth are One Kingdom to God, fo all Chriftian Churches are One Church to Chrift, without any Univerfal MoB 2

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narch in either Cafe. And that as the Unity of the World confifts in what we call the Law of Nations, which is common to all; fo the Unity of the Church confifts in the common Christianity wherein all agree.

If fo, then every one who Believeth in Chrift is a Chriftian.

G. Yes furely, as every one that Believeth in Mahomet is a Mahometan.

L. Then there is no need to be of any Church, if you Believe in Chrift that is enough.

G. No, we must obey His Commandments too, which oblige us to live Peaceably and Quietly as Members of that Body or Church whereto we appertain, with Chriftian Love and Fellowship with all others, and not to make Schifms and Divifions by breaking Communion, where nothing Sinful is required as a Condition of it. And when fuch Disorderly Perfons are caft out of the Church, or cut themselves off by a Caufelefs Separation, though they are no lon ger of the Church, yet they ceafe not to be Chriftians; (that is a Noftrum of the Church of Rome) and they must Answer for their Schifm as for other Sins, all of which are Damnable in their own Nature, without Repentance: And yet Allowances are made for Invincible Ignorance occafioned by the Prejudices of Education, &c. but not for Obftinacy. No Society of Men would bear fuch Perverfe Members among them.

Now a Church is a Society profeffing such a Religion, be it True or Falle. Thus there is a Church of the Jews, of Heathens, of Chri

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ftians, and Mahometans. And I would ask your Lordship which is any of thefe Churches, for Inftance, which is the Church of the Mabometans ?

L. It is the Turks, Moors, Perfians, the Great Mogul, &c.

G. Yet there is no Chief Prieft over all these, but every Church as Nation is Independant of each other. And thus among the feveral Nations and Churches of the Heathens. The Jews were but one Nation, and a fmall one, therefore they had as one King, fo one High Prieft. There was fomething like this in that part of the Chriftian Church which was within the Roman Empire. But to extend the Supremacy of the Bishop of Rome beyond the Limits of the Emperor of Rome, even to all the Chriftian Churches in the World, is a Fancy never came into the Heads of any other Mortals, and is not neceffary to Denominate many Churches profeffing the fame Religion to be one Church, as of the Heathens and Mahometans,all of which are called the Heathen or the Mahometan Church or Churches, without any common Head over them all. And there is not one word in Scripture appointing fuch an Univerfal Head in the Chriftian Church, or altering this common Sentiment of Mankind, as to the meaning of the word Church, or taking it in any other Senfe than commonly underftood by all the World. And thus in our way of fpeaking, when we fay the Fathers of the Church, or the Primitive Church, we mean not any particular Church,

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but the whole Body or Church of Chriftians, though divided into many Nations or Churches, L. But all in Subordination to the Church of Rome.

G. What? Before there was a Church of Rome! For there were Chriftian Churches before, as I have told you. And after there was a Church at Rome, the Bishops and Fathers of thofe Times knew nothing of it's Supremacy, far lefs of it's Infallibility, nor ever Appealed to it in their Difputes with Hereticks, which had been the fhorteft and the fureft way, and impoffible to have been forgot, had it been known, and received as the Current Faith, or but Opinion of the Church. But on the contrary, other Churches have Contended with that of Rome, and Afferted their own Liber ties and Independency upon her, when her Encroachments began to arife and difturb the Peace and Unity of the Church, which I shall fhew you presently. But this is only to let you fee, That the Unity of the Church was then understood, not as being United under any one Supreme Bilhop orChurch;but in the Concord and good Agreement of the feveral Churches among themselves, and in the Unity of the Common Faith. Which Unity is

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Defcribed by their all having One Eph. iv. 3, 4, 5. Lord, One Faith, One Baptifm, and

One Spirit, from which they are called one Body. The Unity of the Spirit is their Unity with Gad, and the Bond of Peace is the Unity of the Churches with each other, as Members.

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of the fame Body. And this is a much stricter and clofer Union than that of the Secular. World. All Churches agree in that Summary of our Faith called the Apoftles Creed. And the Church of Rome her felf must think this fufficient for Salvation, becaufe fhe requires no other Profession of Faith in Baptifm, or for being admitted into the Church. But the Twelve new Articles of Faith which the Council of Trent has added to the Twelve of the Apoftles, which we call Pope Pius his Creed, and is required to be Profeffed by Converts, has made mady Contests and Divifions in the Church; and I have not yet met with any Roman Catho lick fo hardy as to fay, that the Belief of all these is neceffary to Salvation, only that we fhould not deny or oppofe them, fuch as Purgatory, the Invocation of Saints, &c.

(4) L. The Church pretends not to make new Articles of Faith, but only to explain the old ones. And fuch are what you call the però Articles of Trent.

G. What Article in the Apoftles Creed does Tranfubftantiation explain? For there is nothing at all of the Sacraments in that Creed. CL. Are not the Sacraments then part of our, Faith

G. They are the Signs and Seals of our Faith as Circumcifion was called, Rom. iv. 11. but not the Faith it felf, and therefore are not put into that Summary of our Faith.

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