$.29! of St Paul, viz. (what have we to do with them that are without? them that are without God Judgeth) shews you to be an utter Stranger to the Apostle's true Meaning. For his Words bear no other Senfe than that the Church has no Right to exercise her Power of Correcting upon the Heathens, as being none of her Subjects: and therefore must leave them to God's Justice, as belonging to his Tribunal, not her's. But he could never intend to entitle them to your uncovenanted Mercy without Contradicting our Saviour faying, he that believeth not is condemn'd already, becaufe he hath not believed in the Name of the only begot ten Son of God. Joh. 3. V. 18. nor without giving the Lie to himself: Since he tells us in exprefs Terms, that without Faith it is impoffible to please God. Heb. 11. .6. I hope therefore it is no Crime to form a Judgment of the unhappy State either of Jews, Heathens, or Mahometans by the Lights, the Word of God itself has given us to Judge by, and that we may without having an evil Eye, or limiting God's Mercies to his Creatures pronounce thofe condemn'd, on whom Chrift himself and his Apoftle have pronounced Sentence of Condemnation. Now, Sr, you may proceed, if you have any Thing more to fay upon this Subject.

» G.

S. 29.

None faved without Faith in Chrift.

G

Od did Judge one, who was without, that is, out of the Pale of the Church, to be the » most beloved of God, and that there was none like » him in the Earth. Job. 1. v. 8. And he is put upon » the Level with the greatest in the Church, as Noah » and Daniel. Eze. 14. V. 14. And propofed as an Example of Patience by St James S. v. 11. And of

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an other Gentile it was faid by Chrift, I have not «f found fo great Faith, no not in Ifrael. Luke 7. v. 9. a And he, who faid often to his Difciples O ye little e of Faith and upbraided the Apostles with their « Unbelief, Mark 16. v. 14. Yet faid to a Woman « of Canaan (who could not be difcouraged with the Objections, he put against her not being within « the Pale of the Church, but without among the « Dogs) O Woman great is thy Faith. Math. 15. V. 28. « And of the ten heal'd there was but one thankful,«e and he was a Samaritan. Luke 18. v. 16. that is a « Schifmatick, a Stranger, as Chrift here calls him, « ✰. 18. and faid to him, thy Faith has made thee whole, « pag. 40. "

L. Sr, you certainly take me for an errant Block, head to produce thefe four Examples, viz. of Job, the Centurion, the Woman of Canaan, and the Leprous Samaritan for Proofs that Perfons may be faved with out Faith in Chrift. Did not Job believe in Chrift, that is, the Meffias to come? And how then can you say, he was out of the Pale of the true Church?

G. But was not Job a Gentile?

L. Sr, if by the Word Gentile you mean an Ido later, an Infidel, or Unbeliever, Job was no Gentile any more than Adam, or Noah. And were thefe out of the Pale of the true Church? Or had God no Church upon Earth before the Jewish Synagogue, and ceremo❤ nial Law were establish'd?

But nothing furprises me more than your mentioning the Centurion, the Woman of Canaun, and the Leprous Samaritan. To the first of which Christ faid I have not found fo great Faith, no not in Ifrael, To the fecond, OW oman great is thy Faith: And to the third, thy Faith has made thee whole. Yet by a ftrange Overfight, these are the three other rare examples you have produced to prove, that Men may be faved

F.29* without Faith in Chrift. I ask then, whether the Centurion, the Woman of Canaan, and the Samaritan believed in Chrift, or not? If you fay they did not, then Chrift spoke an Untruth in Commending their Faith, which is Blafphemy. If you fay they did, then they were faved by their Faith in Chrift: and these three Examples are as wide from the Purpose, as that of Job.

» G. The Pattern of Charity is placed in the Per» fon of a Samaritan in Oppofition both to a Prieft » and Levite. Luke 10. v. 30, Which makes good » what St Peter faid of Cornelius a Gentile. A&. 10. » Y. 30. Now I truly fee that God is no Respecter of » Perfons But in every Nation he that feareth him, and worketh Righteousneß, is accepted with him. pag. 40.

L. That is, God makes no Difference between Jews and Gentiles. who feek him with a fincere Heart. But did not God even work a Miracle to bring this Cornelius to the Faith of Chrift? And is not this a rare Proof that it is not neceffary to Salvation! But let us hear out the rest of your Story.

» G. This is the Doctrine, which Chrift taught, as Luke 4. 4. 25. When he minded the Jews that a "Widow of Sarepta a City in Sidon, and Naaman

the Syian were prefer'd to all the Widows and Le»pers in Ifrael, Which fo enraged the Jews tenacious of the Priviledge of their Church, that they w thrust him out of their City, and led him unto the Brow so of their Hill, whereon their City was built, that they might caft him down headlong. And it is faid that the » were filled with Wrath. pag. 41.

L. Here are three Examples more full as good as the four former, and the Scriptures equally trifled with. For is not this a ftrange fort of Argument! A Samaritan had more Compaffion than a Prieft or a

Levite, and took Care of a wounded Man: A Prophet went to the Widow of Sarepta, and Naaman the Syrian was cured of a beprofy: Therefore Hea thens may be faved without Faith in Chrift. Really, Sr, I am weary of Hearing the Scriptures thus abufed, and shall shortly want fome Grains of Job's Pa rience to hear you out. However proceed. G. The like Fury they shew'd, when St Paul « told them that the Gofpel was to be extended «< beyond the Pale of their Church, and that God « had fent him to the Gentiles. And they gave him Au- se dience unto that Word, and then lift up their Voices, « and faid, away with fuch a Fellow from the Earth. And e they cry'd out and caft off their Cloaths, and threw se duft into the Air. Act. 22, V. 22. And the like Rage « is feen among the zealots of your Church, when « they hear of the Gospel being extended out of the « Pale of their Communion, tho with Chriftians, who hold the three ancient Creeds, and have every « Thing effential to a Church, except what Rome se has made so, viz. the Universal and unlimited So- « vereignty of her Bishop. pag. 41. «

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L. Sr, your Comparifon between the Jews and us will not recommend either your Judgment or Charity; The Jews bore a mortal Hatred to the Gentiles and therefore had not the Patience to hear any one fay, they could be render'd capable of Salvation by having the Gospel preach'd to them, or any other Way than by becoming Jews. This was the true Occafion of their exceffive Rage against Se Paul, who told them he was fent by God to preach the Gospel to them. But was there ever any Roman Catholick in the World guilty of fuch black malice, as to be enraged to fee the Gospel extended to Infi-. dels? Do we not dayly pray for it? Nay have we not Seminaries expressly founded for the Education

of Perfons, whofe whole Bufinefs it is to facrifice themselves for that holy End? And where then is the Senfe or Juftice of your Comparison ?

Ay but the Jewish Rage is feen among the Zealots of our Church, when they hear of the Gospel being extended out of the Pale of their Communion, tho with Christians, who hold the three Creeds, and have every Thing effential to a Church. Really, Sr, I pity your Mistake. For I take it to be a fundamental Truth, that the Church of Chrift, and by Confequence the Creeds and Gospel rightly understood can only be in one Communion, which we heartily wish may be extended to all Nations in the World. And we are fo far from being enraged against thofe, that have cut themfelves off from that Communion by Apoftacy or Herely, that we heartily compaffionate their Condition, and pray and labour continually for their Converfion. But we can never be perfuaded that any heretical Communion has all the Effentials of the true Church of Chrift, whereof Unity of Faith (without which there is no Salvation according to St Paul) is one. As to the unlimited Sovereignty (as you call it) of the Bishop of Rome it is neither an Article of our Faith, nor any Term of Communion. So you need not be afraid of it. The fpiritual Supremacy of St Peter's Succeffor is indeed an Article of Faith; but it is one of Chrift's own Making, as has been fully proved.

» G. This is the great Bone of Contention, wherein Rome ftands fingle, thrufting all Chriftian Chur»ches from her, like a Man in a Boat, who thinks he thrufts the Shore from him, whereas he only "thrufts himself from the Shore: As Firmilian faid to Stephen Bishop of Rome excidifti teipfum, noli te fallere. Do not deceive yourfelf, you have cut yourself off from the Church. For he is truly a Schifmatick who has made himself an Apoftate from

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