And with others, he must be a Nestorian, or Extychian; and allow Monaftical Vows, Tradition, Praying the Dead out of a State of Suffering, Invocation of Saints, &c.

than the

Nicene
Creed,

1

Ceremonies II, BUT why do we, in the Ceremonies of Bapof Baptifm tifm, Ufe only the Apostles Creed? Because they are more are Ancienter than any of the other Creeds; and ancient were made ufe of by the Catholick Church, even in the Three First Centuries. The Blessing of the Water is mention'd by S. Cyprian, Epist. 70, and by S. Bafil lib. de Spiritu Sancto cap. 27. The Exorcifms by S. Cyprian Epift. 76; by Crefcens a Cirta, Lucius a Thebeste, and Vincentius a Thibari, in S. Cyprian's Council at Carthage; and afterwards by (1) S. Augustin, (2) S. Gregory Nazianzen, (3) S. Optatus Milevitanus, (4) S. Cyril of Ferufalem, and (3) Others.

The Salt, by Origen Hom. 6. in Ezechielem; by the third Council at Carthage, Can. 5. By (6) S. Auguftin, &c. And the Creed, or Profeffion of Faith, by (7) S. Cyril of Jerusalem, (8) S. Ambrose, and (9) S. Auguftin.

12. THE fame St. Ambrofe, and a Council at Milan, writing to Pope Siricius anno 390, obferve that the Roman Church had always kept the Apoftles Creed, without any Change or Alterations; Credatur Symbolo Apoftolorum, quod Ecclefia Ro

(2) Lib. 1. de Nuptiis & Concupifcentiâ, cap. 20. lib. 2. cap. 29. () Orat 40 (3) Lib.4 contra Parmenianum, () Catechefi 1. (3) S. Ambrofius, vel Author libri 1. de Sacramentis cap. 5. Celeftinus 1. in Ep. ad Epifcopos Galliæ, cap.12. (6) Lib.1. Confeff. cap. 11. & lib. 2. de Peccatorum Meritis, cap.26 (7) Catechefi 1. & 2. (*) Lib. de Initiandis, cap. 4. & lib. 2. de Sacramentis, cap. 7. (9) Lib. 8. Confeff. cap.2. Et in Sermonibus ad Catechu

menos.

mana

mana intemeratum femper cuftodit & fervat. For which Rufin, a Prieft of Aquileia, writing at the fame time, gives two Reasons (') First, Becaufe no Herefie ever begun at Rome: Secondly, Because they have at Rome an Ancient Custom, of making those who are to be Baptized, fay the Creed aloud before the People. But if Mr. L. thinks our Catechumens have no Inftructions before Baptifm, but only of the Apoftles Creed (tho' as explicated by Catholicks that is fufficient) he is under a Miftake. In the Roman Ritual the Prieft fays to him, who comes from any Herefie, and hath never been Baptifed, horrefce Hareticam pravitatem, refpue nefarias Sectas Impiorum: vel exprimatur, fays the Rubrick, proprio Nomine feita, de quâ Catechumenus venit: Deteft. Herefie, and the Sects of the wicked: Which is fomewhat more, than is exprefs'd in the Apostles Creed.

§. II.

Of the Perpetuity of the true Church of

I.

Chrift.

R. L. feems to think, that Chrift hath not abfolutely promis'd, that his Church upon Earth fhould always be; much. lefs that it fhould be always Visible, pag. 30. All the Promifes made, either to the Jewish or

() Ruffinus in Expofit. Symbol. In diverfis Ecclefiis aliqua in his verbis inveniuntur adjecta. In Ecclefiâ tamen Urbis Romæ hoc non deprehenditur factum. Quod ego propterea effe arbitror, quod neque Hærefis ulla illic fumpfit Exordium; & mos ibi fervatur anti quus, eos, qui gratiam baptifmi fufcepturi funt, publicè, id eft fidelium populo audienti, Symbolum reddere.

Gentile

made to

the Church, Conditio

Gentile Church, are Conditional: viz. If they continue in the Goodness of God. See alfo pag. 27, 28, 29, 31, 43, 44, &c..

Are all 2. BUT, is this the Doctrine of the Church of Promifes, of England? Archbishop Laud, writing of the Church; There must be, fays he, fome one Church or other, continually Wifible. For, if this be not So, then there may be a Time, in which there fhall not any where be a visible Profeffion of the Name of Chrift, which is contrary to the whole Scope and Profeffion of the Gofpel, S 37, pag 3 18. And this, fays he, fuch a Church, as hath in All Ages taught the unchanged Faith of Christ, in all Points Fundamental. n. 3, 5·

3. So Dr. Hammond, in Defence of the Lord Falkland's Difcourfe, ch. 1. p. 23. grants that the whole Church fhall not at once make an Univerfal Defection, Err from the Foundation, or do any thing, by which there fhall cease to be a Church on the Earth. 4. DR. Field, lib. 4. cap. 2. As we hold it Impoffible, the Church fhould ever, by Apostacy and Misbelief, wholly depart from God, that it never falleth into any Herefie.

So we hold

5. DR. Pearfon in his Expofition of the Creed. pag. 342. That which was when the Creed began, and was to continue till that Creed fhall end, is propofed to our Belief in every Age as Being; and thus ever fince the first Church was Constituted, the Church it felf, as Being, was the Object of the Faith of the Church believing -The Church which our Saviour founded and the Apostles gather'd, was to receive a constant and perpetual Acceffion, and by a fucceffive Augmentation be uninterruptedly continued in an actual Existence of believing Perfons and Congregations in all Ages unto the end of the World.

6. So the Proteftant's Confeffion at Ausburg, writ by Melancthon, Our Doctrine is, that one

Holy

Holy Church will always remain, Docent nostri, quod Una Sancta Ecclefia perpetuo manfura fit!

MEL ANCTHON upon St. Paul, () There is always a vifible Society (fometimes greater, fonietimes lefs) preferving Fundamentals, Semper aliquis vifibilis Cetus est, alias major alias minor, qui est Custos Fundamenti.

EVEN Calvin, lib. 4. Instit. cap. 1. §. 13. (2) In must be own'd, that there never was a Time from the beginning of the World, in which God had not his Church: and that there never will be a Time, to the very End of the World, in which he will not have it. This God has teftified by fure Promises. For which he quotes, Pfal. 89. ver. 4 Thy Seed will I eftablish for ever, and build up thy Throne to all Generations. And Jerem. 31 ver. 36, or 37. If Heaven above can be measured, and the Foundations of the Earth fearched out bencath, I will also caft off all the Seed of Ifrael, for all that they bave done, fays the Lord.

BEZA, in Confefsione Chriftiana Fidei, cap. 5. § 1. (3) As Chrift's Kingdom, fays he, is perpetual: So we must neceffarily acknowledge, that the Church fall always be; tho' the Devil employs all his force to de

· (1) In 1 Tim. 3. ver. 15. To. 4. Edit. Wittembergenfis. anno 1564. pag. 398. (2) Statuendum eft, nullum fuiffe ab Orbe condito tempus, quo Ecclefiam fuam Dominus uon habuerit; nullum etiam fore, ad confummationem ufque Sæculi, quo non fit habiturus.Quod certis Promiffionibus teftatum fecit, quales funt ifte, Pfal. 88, ver. 4, & 5. Pfal. 131. ver. 13. Ferem. 31. ver. 36.

Cum perpetuum fit Jefu Chrifti Regnum, neceffe eft aliquos femper exiftere, qui eum pro Rege agnofcant. Itaque ab initio Mundi, aliqua femper fuit Ecclefia. Et hac Ecclefiam neceffe ef, ut iifdem de caufis perpetuam fore confiteamur: quamvis nihil non molia-j tur Satan, ut illam evertat.

stroy

ftroy it. This is alfo own'd by Bucanus, Loco 41. S 12. By Lucas Trelcatius, lib. 2. Inftitutionis in fine. By Adamus Francifci, Loco 11. pag. 119. Øc.

7. EVEN Mr. L. in his Treatife of Private Judgment, p. 197 makes his Church-of-EnglandMan fay, We believe that Chrift will always have a Church upon Earth. It feems then, that all the Promifes of Chrift to his Church, are not Conditional.

1. MR.

§. III.

Of Infallibility.

R L. not only denies the Church, but even the Apoftles, to have been Infallible. And extends this both to their Actions, ⚫ and their Writings, pag. 26. Lord. But there must be an Infallibility fomewhere in the Church.

do

Where you place this Infallibility? Gent. No where, my Lord, nor can it be among Men, who are all Fallible.

Pag. 32, Gent. NOTHING can be infallible, but what is likewife Impeccable. Lord. The Apoftles were Infallible, but not Impeccable. Gent. As much the one as the other. St. Peter err'd, and Mr. L. de- walked not uprightly according to the Truth of the Apofiles the Gofpel. And many were carried away

nies it to

with his Diffimulation, Gal. 2. ver. 13, 14. And St. Paul own'd that in fome Cafes, he had no Commandment of the Lord, only gave his Judgment as a private Perfon and spoke by Permillion, and not of Commandment. But in other Cafes he fays, 1 command, yet not I, but the Lord. And to the reft fpeak I, not the Lord. And it is fo after

my