cerning the church of Chrift, as the author of the * Grounds of catholic doctrine does, that she is always holy in her doctrine and terms of communion,and always free from pernicious errors.' For whatever is true concerning the church of Christ, this is not true concerning the church of Rome. The doctrines juft now mentioned are her do&trines, and are by her made terms of communion: and they are pernicious errors, wherein the has fhamefully apoftatiz'd from the holy doctrine of Chrift. It is vain therefore to apply to that church those texts of fcripture which belong to the invifible church. Vain is it in particular to apply to that church what our Lord faid to Peter, Matt. XVI. 18. that he would build his church upon a rock, and the gates of hell fhould not prevail against it. For the rock, upon which our Lord there declared he would build his church, was manifeftly Peter's confeffion, mentioned ver. 16. Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. But by the abominable corruptions just mentioned it appears, that the church of Rome is not built upon this rock, but upon fomething elfe, very different from it. It is vain for them to alledge in this case, from John XIV. 6. that Chrift is the way, and the truth, and the life because it is evident by these instances, that they have apoftatiz'd from the true way, and do not walk in it. It is vain to apply to themselves the promise which Chrift made to his apostles, Matt. XXVIII. 19, 20. when he gave them commiffion to teach and baptize in his name; that he would be with them always, even unto the end * Pag. 10. + ibid. ibid. || ibid. end of the world. For this promife was given in clofe connexion with a charge, to teach men to obferve all things whatsoever Christ had commanded; and not to teach things inconfiftent with Christ's commands, and with his legislative authority; which the doctrines abovementioned moft evidently are. It is as vain to apply to the church of Rome, or to the whole body of her paftors and teachers, the promise which Chrift made to his * apostles, John XIV. 17. I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter, that he may abide with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth; and his affurances, ver. 26, that this Spirit of truth should teach them all things, and bring all things to their remembrance, whatfoever he had faid to them; and that other promife, ch. XVI. 13. that he Should guide them into all truth. For it is evident, that fome of these promises were made perfonally to the apostles, relating to the extraordinary service in which they were to be imploy'd; and not to the whole body of the pastors and teachers of the church. And whatever there is in these promises, which is not restrained to the apostles in perfon, belongs to all Christ's faithful disciples, all those who act agreeably to the Spirit of Chrift: fo that they have no relation to the paftors and teachers of the church of Rome. Lastly, it is a great perverfion of fcripture to produce in this controverfy the words of St. Paul, 1 Tim. III. 15. to prove that the church ⚫ cannot uphold pernicious errors;' and to argue from this and the other texts before recited, as the C 2 *Grounds of cath. doct. pag. 1I. † ibid. pag. 12. 20 the author of the Grounds of cath. doct. does, that the church of Chrift is infallible in all ⚫ matters relating to faith, so that she can neither add nor retrench from what Christ taught.' The other texts have been already confider'd, and fhewn to have no relation to the church of Rome, otherwise than as in general they condemn her errors and corruptions. As for thefe words of St. Paul; all that they affirm concerning the church is, that it is the house of God: and Timothy, being a perfon of confiderable character and eminency in the church, is put in mind to behave himself as became a pillar in that house. The author indeed abovementioned takes advantage of a mistake of our tranflators; who have rendered the apostle's words differently from what appears to have been his meaning. The apoftle does not fpeak of the church as a pillar, much lefs as the pillar and ground of truth: but fignifies to Timothy, that he had written that epiftle to him, to put him in mind, how it became a perfon who was a pillar and ground of truth, (meaning Timothy himself) to behave in the house of God, which is the church of the living God. This is the natural order and plain sense of the words: ἵνα εἰδῆς πῶς δεῖ ἐν οἴκῳ Θεο ανατρέψεις, (ἥτις εὶν ἐκκλησία Θεῖς ζῶντα ) εὐλῶ καὶ ἑδραίωμα છે exc. And this is agreeable to other paffages in the new teftament: where perfons of high character and importance in the church, for fupporting and adorning the truths it maintains, as for example, James, Cephas and John, are called pillars; Gal. II. 9. and agreeable like * Grounds, pag. 12. wife wife to the promise of Chrift, Rev. III. 12. Him that overcometh, will I make a pillar in the temple of my God. These words therefore are altogether foreign to the purpose for which they are produced: and are by mifinterpretation made to afcribe that infallibility to the church, concerning which the apoftle never once entertained a thought; and which however, it appears from the abovementioned fpecimen of grofs errors, cannot belong to the church of Rome. Indeed it does not appear, that our bleffed Lord ever promised to fecure unerring perfection to any vifible church or its teachers: tho' we have abundant reafon to be fatisfied from many paffages of fcripture, that Chrift will always have a church fomewhere or other; that is, a number of faithful perfons, maintaining his true doctrine that tho' they may fometimes be reduc'd to great extremities and small numbers, and tho' their enemies may endeavour and hope to extirpate them quite; yet they fhall not be able to prevail. And this was made good in the almost miraculous preservation of the substance of the protestant doctrine among the Waldenfes and Albigenfes, under the cruel perfecutions of the church of Rome; which had banished the light of the christian doctrine from all places where her influence reached, and did what she could to extinguish it intirely. The texts therefore cited in the Grounds of cath. doct. to prove that Chrift has always a true • church upon earth,' no otherwise relate to the church of Rome, than as they fhew, that the faithfulness of God's promife is engaged to pre + Pag. 7. ferve ferve and maintain fomewhere or other that true doctrine, which they have corrupted and endeavoured to destroy. And as to the texts ‡ quoted to prove, that the church of Chrift is always vifible' we proteftants thankfully acknowledge they have been fo far fulfilled, that the light of the chriftian doctrine has never yet been totally extinguished; and are encouraged by them to hope and believe it never will. Nay we are by these very texts fully fatisfied, that a time will come, when the corruptions of the church of Rome fhall be detected, and fhall make way for that pure doctrine of Chrift himself, which fhall prevail and triumph over them, and shine through the world with its own light. In the mean time 'tis evident, that the greatest part of these texts have not yet had their full accomplishment: and that tho' fome of them have been in part fulfilled, in relation to the church of Chrift; yet they are no way inconfiftent with thofe other fcriptures, which fignific, that the fame church should fometimes be reduced to great diftress and obfcurity, as history proves it has been. Enough has been faid to fhew, that the church of Rome is not a holy church. And if she is unholy, fhe is confequently not apoftolical; that is, not conform'd to the doctrine of the apostles, which is a holy doctrine. But they tell you they are apoftolical by a continued, uninterrupted fucceffion of their bishops from the apostles. To which I answer that if this were true, it could never make that an apoftolical church, which departs from the apoftolical doctrine. Befides: it is impof Pag. 7. fible |