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of the World'. And so he hath promised every fingle Christian to be with them and dwell in them yet this does not hinder but they may both misunderstand and even renounce Chriftianity if they please. But he declares alfo, that the Gates of Hell fhall not prevail against the Church'. But the Gates of Hell, or, as it might be tranflated, of the invisible World, mean nothing else than the Power of Death, i. e. the Terror of Perfecution, as the Learned well know. And it can never follow, that because Perfecution fhall not deftroy the Church, Error fhall not corrupt it. Or were this Expreffion, the Gates of Hell, to comprehend Error, it must at leaft equally comprehend Sin. And therefore, as this Promise does not hinder the Church univerfal from being more or less defiled by Sin, fo neither from being deformed by Error. And the most our Saviour meant to promise, is, that neither fhall totally abolish, though, through the Faults of Men, both may greatly pollute it. They plead farther, that St. Paul fays, the Church of God is the Pillar and Ground of the Truth: but they know at the fame Time, that this Paffage of St. Paul is fairly capable of

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two other Translations, either of which turns it to a different Sense. Or were this the only Sense; we acknowledge the Church was then, and ought always to be, and in fome Measure always is, a Pillar and Support of Truth; and fo: in his Proportion is every Believer: and therefore of every fingle good Chriftian our Saviour fays, in the Revelation", I will make him a Pil- ́ lar in the Temple of my God. But then it does not follow from hence, that any one Chriftian, or the Majority of Chriftians, fo fupport the Truth, as that they do and ever will profefs it all, without any Mixture of Error: and unless this be done, there is no Infallibility. But they argue farther, that our Saviour directs, If a Man neglect to bear the Church, let him be unto thee as a Heathen Man and a Publican. But what is he there speaking of? Let us read the Context. If thy Brother shall trefpafs against thee, go, and tell him his Fault between him and thee alone. If he will not hear thee, take with thee one or two more. If he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the Church. If he neglect to bear the Church, let him be unto thee as a Heathen Man and a Publican. That is, if a Man have done you an Injury, firft admonish him

» Rev. iii. 12.

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Matt. xviii. 17.

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privately

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privately of it.
If that avail not, tell the
Church: not the univerfal Church fure
throughout all the World, but the particular
one you both belong to. And if he will not
reform upon their Reproof, look on him no
longer as a true Chriftian, but an ill Man. Here
therefore is not one Word faid about disobey-
ing the Determination of the Catholic Church
concerning a difputed Doctrine; but about
flighting the Admonition of a particular Church
concerning a known Sin, and particular Churches
are owned to be fallible.

But

Again, they say it is an Article of our Creed, that we believe in the Catholic Church. then they know the Meaning of this is not that we believe whatever this Church, or any who please to call themselves fo, fhall at any Time affert. But, as believing in the Resurrection of the Body, is only believing that fuch a Refurrection fhall be, fo believing in the Catholic Church is only believing that such a Church is that Chrift hath united his Followers into one regular Society or Body, of which himself is the Head: which Society or Church is therefore called Catholic or Univerfal, because it confifts of all Nations; whereas the Jewish Church was not Catholic, but par

ticular,

ticular, confifting only of one Nation. But whether this Church be infallible or not, the Creed fays nothing. They that can lay a Stress on fuch wretched Arguments as thefe, how would they have triumphed had the fame Things been faid of their Church, that are faid of the Jewish Church? If there arife a Matter too bard for thee in Judgement, fays Mofes, thou fbalt come unto the Priests the Levites, that fhall be in thofe Days, and thou shalt observe to do according to all that they shall inform thee; thou fhalt not decline from the Sentence that they shall fhow thee, to the right Hand nor to the left; for by their Word fhall every Controversy be tried2, The Scribes and Pharifees, fays our Saviour, fit in Mofes' Seat. All therefore whatsoever they bid you obferve, that obferve and do. Now if these very strong Expreffions did not prove that Church infallible, (as certainly they do not; for then Christianity which they rejected would not be true) how can much weaker Expreffions prove any other to be fo? But they who will needs have the Church to be infallible, and the Rule of our Faith inftead of Scripture; what Part of it do they make the Infallibility refide in? For unless that be clearly known, we are 9 Deut. xxi. 5. Matt. xxiii. 3.

Deut. xvii. 8, &c.

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never the better for it; but instead of the fame • Rule of Faith, every different Opinion about this Matter will produce a different Rule of Faith. And it is a Matter, in which the Opinions of the Romanifts differ greatly. Many of them fay the Pope is infallible, and he himself claims to be fo. But then fome think he is for in Matters of Faith only, fome in Matters of Fact too. In most Popish Countries it would be looked upon as Herely to deny him this Prerogative; in others as great Weakness to afcribe it to him. For a large Part of them fay nothing is infallible under a general Council, regularly called. But then they have fo many different Opinions about what makes a Council general, and what Call of one is regular, that some of them reckon at least eighteen general Councils, and some at moft but feven or eight and indeed they might very juftly queftion whether, strictly speaking, there was ever one fuch in the World. But farther; which of the Decrees and Canons of thefe Councils, amongst the infinite Forgeries there have been, are genuine, and which not, here again is an endless Controverfy; and another as endless what the Meaning of fome of the most important ones of them iş. In Confequence of this they differ and dis

pute,

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