les, in which S. Peter has a great fhare, though not fo much as St. Paul, and there is a Council mentioned wherein both of them were prefent, and there is not a Tittle of any Superiority of St. Peter over St. Paul, or any other of the Apoftles, either in that Council, or any where else throughout that whole Hiftory, which, as your Lordfhip has determi ned, is impoffible if St. Peter had that Supremacy which the Popes have Claimed as his Succeffors.

This is fo Demonftrative a Proof that the Writers on your fide think it neceffary for them to endeavour fome Solution to it. But the Weakness of their Anfwer is a yet greater Confirmation on our Side. For they can find no other way to get fome Superiority to St. Peter in this Council than to fuppofe that he opened it, because, as they fay, he fpoke firft, which would not infer the Supremacy they intend, if it were true; but it is plainly otherwife; for it is faid, A&s xv. 7. And when there had been much difputing, Peter rofe up and faid Nor did he fpeak laft, for after he had done Paul and Barnabas declared the Converfion of the Gentiles, by their means, with out putting them under the Law, which was the Point in Debate; and after they had held their Peace, St. James who was Bishop of Jerufalem, where the Council was held, did, as Prefident, resume what had been faid by St. Peter and others, and gave his definitive Sentence upon the whole, Wherefore my Sentence is

And

And the Decree of the Council was drawn up in the Words of St. James. So that it is plain he clofed the Council, whoever opened it or fpoke firft, which is not fo material as to be told in this Account of that Council. But difmiffing the Council, and putting an End to it feems of greater Authority. If what is faid of St. James here had been faid of St. Peter, I queftion not it would have been made ufe of as a full Proof of his Supremacy, and Prefiding in that Council.

L. I must confefs the Hiftory of the New Teftament is very barren, as to Facts relating to the Authority of St. Peter over the other Apoftles. We muft depend upon the Texts be fore mentioned of Feed my Sheep, &c.

G. None of thefe Texts are fo express as what I quoted of St. Paul. But if they were meant in that Extent for which you produced them, it is impoffible but that muft appear in the Facts of St. Peter, efpecially in the part he bore in that Council at Jerufalem. And Facts are the fureft Explanation of Words.

We discourse now only of Authority, what Authority one Apoftle had over another, for that is the Point wherein we are concerned We fpeak not of their Gifts and Graces, and their Labours in propagating the Gofpel, wherein one might be more Eminent and Successful than another, but this gave him no Authority over the others. And in this alfo St, Paul had the Preference, for He laboured more abundantly than they all, I Cor. xv. 10. And all the Epifles

almoft

almoft are his, to the feveral Churches. And his Miracles and Converfions of Infidels take up a much greater part in the Acts of the Apoftles than thofe of St. Peter.

I have faid fo much of this Matter, becaufe the fuppofed Supremacy of St. Peter, his being at Rome, and Bishop of Rome, is the whole Foundation of that Supremacy claimed by the Bishop or Church of Rome.

And if that be fo Effential a Point, and upon which the Unity of the Church depends, infomuch that without it there is no Church at all, according to the Scheme drawn by Modern Rome; it is inconceivable the Scriptures fhould be fo wholly filent in it, nay, fhewing the ve ry contrary in Fact, as I have faid already concerning St. Peter. And when the direct Queftion was put to our Bleffed Saviour, upon the Contest among the Apostles which of them fhould be the Greatest, Luke xxii. 24. I fay if this was fo material a Point as to the very Being of the Church, it is inconceivable. He fhould not have Determined it, but by His Answer rather checkt the Error of their Thought, and left them all upon the Level.

(3.) L. I would gladly know your Notion of the Unity of the Church, if all Bifhops, as you fay of the Apostles, were upon the Level, without any Head Bishop, or Principle of Unity among them; for we are told that Chrift has but one Church upon Earth.

2

G

G. Your Lordship may add, and in Heaven. too; for all are one Church to Chrift, of which He alone is the Head. And one Part being Mi litant, the other Triumphant,makes them not two Churches, but two States of the fame Church; which is called One Family in Heaven and Earth. Eph. iii. 15. In like Manner, Heaven, Earth, and Hell are one Kingdom to the Great Creator, for His Kingdom ruleth over all. And of the Earth it is faid, The Kingdom is the Lord's, and He is the Governor among the Nations, Pfal.xxii. 28. All the Nations are one Kingdom to Him. But he has appointed no Univerfal Monarch as His Deputy of his Kingdom of the Earth, but each Nation is Governed by their respective Rulers, independent of each other. For fo His Wisdom has Difpofed, according to the Capacity of his Creatures, for what Man would be fufficient to Govern the whole World? And where must the Seat be of this Univerfal Monarch? Muft he not have as many or more Deputies under him as there are now Kings of Nations? And what Prudence could prevent Defections and Rebellions in far diftant Provinces? This has overthrown great Monarchies, which have fallen with their own Weight. What then could fupport an Univerfal Monarchy ? when Nations go to War, other Neighbour Kings and States may Interpofe, affift the Oppreffed, be Mediators and Guarantees of Peace. But this could not be in Cafe of Defection from the Univerfal Monarch, for: who affift Rebels are Rebels themselves,

B

And

And fuch Wars could not but end in the utter Deftruction of the one fide or the other. Therefore God has Confulted beft for the Peace and Safety of Mankind in Diftributing the World into feveral Independent Governments, rather than to put all under the Dominion of One.

L. But when Nations are at War, where is the Unity of this one Kingdom of God upon Earth.

G. It is difturbed where thofe Wars are. But it is not yet totally Diffolved: For there are Laws of War, wherein all agree. There is fill what we call the Law of Nations, which as it Maintains Commerce in Peace, fo it regulates the Fury of War. And there is one Unity which nothing can Diffolve, that is, God having made of one Blood all Nations upon the Earth. So that here is an Unity of Relation, of Humanity, and of common Principles which all retain.

L. But how is this Unity kept?

G. Not as it fhould be. But fo as is Confiftent with our fallen State, and the Corruptions of Mankind. It is not fuch an Unity as is in God's Kingdom of Heaven; which yet was once Disturbed by Rebellion.

?

L. But there ought to be a ftricter Unity in the Church than in the Temporal World?

G. I wish it were fo, but alas it is not. And the Frailty of Man fhews it felf in the Church as well as in the State. The many Herefies and Divifions in the Church have rent her to pieces and broke her Unity, as much as Wars have that of the Temporal World.

L..