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of your Argument against the Reformation of almoft the whole Univerfal Church? If then you will not, you dare not ftand to your own Argument and its Confequences, take a little Shame to your felf and be humbled, as it were in Sackcloath and Afhes, for feducing half inftructed People by fuch Sophiftry or fallacious Reasoning, as affects your very Miffion, and makes all your and your Fellow-Miffioners endeavours to reconcile our Church void and to no purpose, and all your Labour vain. For according to your Doctrine, the Church of England is not a vifible true Church, and therefore by your Argument it is no Church. It cannot be a real Church by your Logick, which, according to your Doctrine, is fo corrupt in all the parts of its Conftitution, and not Catus fidelium, but Catus malignantium, all Herefy and Schifm. Confider then, Sir, and tell me, doth the Herefy, and Schifm, and other Corruptions in Doctrine, Worship, and Difcipline, which you impute to it, deftroy its Being, because they deftroy its Rectitude and Purity? If they do, why do you endeavour to reconcile us? Can you make a Church of no Church by my meer Reconciliation? That is impoffible, because if your Arguments are true, a corrupt Church is no Church, and a corrupt Religion no Religion at all. You profefs and believe the Catholick Faith, which the Council of Trent confeffes in the Conftantinopolitan Creed, and acknowledges to be the very Doctrine, against which the Gates of Hell shall not prevail, and that really makes you to be a Chriftian Church, as to Doctrine, because you hold to the Foundation of Chriftianity; but because [you have determined many uncertain and other falfe

+ Seffio tertia.

Doctrines

Doctrines and Tenets to be true, which you cannot prove, and anathematife the Oppofers of them and have added not only many uncertain and dubious, but falfe, and abfurd, or impoffible, yea impious and pernicious Doctrines to the old Creed, [not only to be affented to as conditions of Communion, but] as neceffary to be taught and believed in order to Salvation: That makes you to be a moft erroneous and corrupt Church, from which all the Chriftian World [in your Communion] ought to reform, because all that impure mixture with the Ancient, Catholick, Apoftolical Faith, you call without any diftinction t, the true Catholick Faith out of which no Man can be faved. In like manner, as to Worship, you have in your Offices fome ancient, chafte, pure Invocations of the Holy Trinity, and fome Prayers unto God in primitive Purity through Jefus Chrift and his Merits, and this is Chriftian Worship; but then you have alfo Prayers [exceedingly corrupt, in fome of which you ask Bleffings of God by the Merits and Interceffion of Saints * without any mention of Christ, or his Merits, or Interceffion, and in others,

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Hanc veram Catholicam fidem, extra quam nemo Salvus effe poteft. Bulla Pii IV. Super formâ Furamenti professionis Fidei.

* Deus, qui de beata Maria Virginis utero verbum tuum, Angelo nuntiante, Carnem fufcipere voluifti. Prafta supplicibus tuis, ut qui verè eam Genetricem Dei credimus, ejus apud te interceffionibus adjuvemur. Dominica iii. adventus in Miffale Rom.

Hac nos communio, Domine, purget a crimine, & intercedente beatâ Virgine, Dei Genetrice Maria, Cæleftis remedii facias effe Confortes. See many more of this kind in a discourse, intituled, Speculum Beata Virginis, London printed 1686.

which indeed you conclude per Dominum, * you blend their Interceffions and Merits with his, and fo debafe and pollute the Devotions, in which you use his holy and meritorious Name.] You have alfo direct Prayers and Interceffions to Saints, to whom you pray in postures of adoration before their confecrated Images, and you pray to Chrift before the Image of his humane Nature, [and as I have fhew'd before, you worfhip the Crofs] and you t adore the Hoft after Confecration, and elevate it to be adored by the People with divine Worship [and at certain times expofe it and carry it about for adoration] and thefe impure and idolatrous mixtures (which have long called for Reformation) with the purer parts of your Worship, pollute your [daily Sacrifices and] whole divine Service and makes your Communion fo corrupt, that all Christians are obliged to leave your Church, left they partake of her Sins and Plagues. In like manner, as to the Polity and Miniftry of the

*Gloriofa femper Virginis Maria-beatorum Apoftolorum, ac Martyrum tuorum, & omnium San&torum, quorum meritis precibúfque concedas, ut in omnibus prote&ionis tua muniamur auxilio, per eundem Chriftum dominum noftrum. Amen. In. Can. Miffe. See more fuch in Speculum Beata Virginis.

Pontificale Romanum, pars 1. de benedi&tione, imag. B. Maria Virg. & aliorum San&torum.

+ Prolatis verbis Confecrationis ftatim Confecratam genuflexus adorat, furgit, oftendit populo, In Can. Miffa. Tunc fe erigens-elevat in altum Hoftiam---populo reverenter oftendit adorandam. Celebrans, adorato Sacramento, furgit, & difcooperit calicem--genuflexus Sanguinem reverenter adorat. Tum fe erigit, & accipiens calicem difcoopertum cum Sanguine, ambabus manibus, ut prius, elevat eum, & erectum oftendit populo aderandum. Ricus Servandus in Celebratione Miffa, viii.

Concil. Trident. Seff. XIII. Cap. V. Can. VI.

Church,

Church, you indeed retain the Primitive Apoftolical Inftitution of Bishops, an Order diftinct from and fuperiour to Presbyters; but then your Doctrine of the Roman Church's being the Mother and Mistress of all Churches; † the Oath of Fidelity and Subjection, which not only all Bishops, but all Archbishops or Metropolitans muft take to the Pope at Confecration, before they receive the Pall, by which in your Church the

*

+ Forma juramenti in Pontificali Romano de confecratione Electi in Epifcopum : Ego N. electus Ecclefiæ N. ab hâc horâ in antea fidelis, & obediens ero beato Petro Apoftolo, &c.

Of the Pall. One of your own Doctors, Du Pin, in his first Dissertation, de Antiqua Ecclefia difciplina, writes in this manner, §. XII. Succedente verò tempore pontifices Romani ordinandorum per univerfum occidentem Epifcoporum poteftatem non finè multâ contradi&tione fibi vindicavere, & omnium Metropolitanorum jura paulatim peffumdederunt. Primùm quidem Metropolitica ordinationum jura ad fe trahere conati funt per Conceffionem PALLII. Eo enim dabatur à pontificibus, ut possent plena auctoritate fuæ provincia Epifcopos ordinare, unde fequebatur hanc poteftatem à Pontifice Metropolitanis fimul cum PALLIO concedi. Hinc poftea novo jure Metropolitanis interdi&tum eft, univerfis functionibus Epifcopalibus, donec Pallium recipiffent, juramentumque FIDEI introductum eft. Secundò ad Pontificem Romanum devoluta funt appellationes judiciorum, que à Metropolitanis late erant circa Controverfias, qua in ele&ionibus occurebant. Tertiò fi Electores effent negligentes aut fi hominem minimè idoneum elegiffent, devolvebatur ele&tio ad Pontificem Romanum. Quartò Romano Epifcopo refervatum eft jus admittendi Ceffiones Epifcopatuum, decernendique tranflationes, & coadjutorias cum futura Succeffione. Demum confirmatio Ele&tionum omnium Epifcoporum ipfi conceffa. Quod jus Concordatis confirmatum eft. Veruntamen ad duodecimum ufque feculum farta teda jura sua confervaverunt in Gallia Metropolitani. And how contrary all thefe Papal Encroachments are to the Liberty of Chrift's Church, and the ancient Suburbicarian Jurifdiction of the Popes may be feen in the fame Book of that great Man, XI, XII, XIII. of the fame Differtation.

* Plenitude

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* Plenitude of the Epifcopal Office, and the Powers of it are conferred; The Oath of Obedience, which all Ecclefiafticks regular and fecular muft alfo make to the Bishop of Rome, as Succeffor to St. Peter, the Prince of the Apostles, and Vicar-General of Jefus Chrift: In a Word, the Doctrine of the Pope's Sovereignty, or being fupreme Head of the Catholick Church, is fo contrary to the ancient Principles of ChurchGovernment, and the primitive Rights and Immunities of the Ecclefiaftical Hierarchy, and hath fo enflaved the free Epifcopate, and alter'd the face of it in your Church that it is no more like what it was and ought to be, then your Worship is like the pure primitive Worship, or your New like to the Old Creed. But then because you retain the ancient Creeds, and have in your Offices for Worship many choice and pure Prayers, and also retain the primitive Hierarchical Order and Ministry, by Bishops, Priefts and Deacons, you are a real Church; but because you have added new and pernicious Doctrines to the pure old Creeds, impure to your pure Worship, and enflaved the whole Clergy, and particularlythe Epifcopal Order to the Pope, you are not morally a holy and true, or a Catholick, Apofto

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*Tradimus tibi Pallium de Corpore Beati Petri fumptum eft Plenitudo Pontificalis Officii. Et quia Pontificalis Officii plenitudo confertur per Pallium, antequam obtinuerit quis Pallium, licet fit confecratus, non fortitur Nomen Patriarchæ Primatis, aut Archicopifcopi; & non licet in Ep fcopos confecrare, nec convo are ad Concilium; nec Chrifma conficere; nec Ecclefias dedicare; nec Clericos ordinare; etiam fi Pallium in aliâ Ecclefiâ habuisset, cùm oporteat petere novum Pallium. Pontificale Romanum de Pallio. Non tamen deberet se Archiepifcopum appellare prius, quàm à nobis Pallium fufcepiffet, in quo Pontificalis officii plenitudo cum Archepifcipalis nominis appellatione confertur. Decret. Gregor. Lib.i. Tit. viii. Cap. iii.

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