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Ø. 25° undoubtedly they did, they could not lean upon God's Promijes as unconditional and indefeasible; Since Jeremy taught them fo plainly the contrary. Nay the fad Experience of the many Calamities, that had befaln them both under their Judges and Kings, had fuffi ciently taught them, that the Effect of the Promifes, which God had made to profper and protect them, depended on their Obedience to his Commands: and that therefore they could not lean on them as unconditional and indefeasible.

G. But why then did they perfecute Jeremy Saying Come let us devife Devices against Jeremy, for the Law shall not perish from the Priest?

L. They perfecuted him, because he told them ungrateful Truths, reproach'd them with their Crimes, and threaten'd them with God's Judgments, if they did not mend their Lives. This made them confpire against him, and refolve upon his Death, Because (faid they) tho he should perish, the Law will not perish from the Priest; and they hoped his Succeffor would be lefs troublesome to them.

G. However I perceive you grant, that God's Promifes to the Jews were Conditional.

L. Sr, there are unconteftable Inftances of Conditional Promifes in holy Writ. So Allowing the Texts, you have quoted, I should be glad to know what Advantage you can make of them in Order to prove, that all God's Promifes are Conditional. Is this a Good Confequence, fome Men are born blind, therefore all are born under that Misfortune? No furely. Yet your Confequence is nothing better, when from a few Inftances of Conditional Promifes you conclude that all God's Promises are fo. What you think of God's Promife to Noah, that the World shall not perish by a fecond Deluge? Or the great Promife of the Meffias? I defy you with all

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your Skill to tack the Condition of Obedience to either of them, or many others, which I omit for Bre vity-fake.

G. But are not all God's Threats Conditional? L. They certainly are. Because God is infinitly Fuft. And Punishments cannot be justly inflicted, unlefs they be first deserved.

6. And why then are not all his Promises equally Conditional?

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L. Because he is infinitly Bountiful, and ftow his Favours whether they be deferved, or not. That is, where, and in what Manner he pleases. So that, tho Promises may be charged with Conditions, their Nature or Effence requires no fuch Thing.

G. The Apostle of the Gentiles fays to the Gen- ce tile Church, thou shall't also be cut off, if thou con- «e tinueft not in the Goodneß of God. And that the Jews, s if they abide not still in Unbelief, shall be graff"d in. « For God is able to graff them in again. Rom. 9. V. 22. « 23. This shews, that the Promises made either to < the Jewish or the Gentile Church are Conditional,'« viz, if they continue in the Goodness of God. Otherwife, « fays St Paul, to the Gentile Church, thou shall't also be cut off. And of all the Gentile Churches this was faid more particularly to the Church of Rome. For e this is in the Epistle wrote to her, and to her it was e faid, thou shall't alfo be cut off. pag. 30. «

L. Surely now or never the Church of Rome must be cut off, and deftroy'd Root and Branch. However I obferve first, that when St Paul wrote his Epiftle to the Romans, that Church was a mix'd Society of converted Jews and Gentiles brought into one Fold. So that your Calling them fo often the Gentile Church as if the converted Gentiles at Rome were a different Church from that of the converted Jews, is fomewhat oddly express'd,

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All God's Promifes are not conditional.

§. 23.

I obferve 2dly, (for you have taken Care to ad. vertise me of it) that St Paul's Epistle to the Romans was particularly addrefs'd to the Church of Rome as diftinguish'd from the other Gentile Churches (as you call them) which plainly marks out the Dioceẞ of Rome, (that dearly beloved Equivocation, whereof you are fo fond) and shews, that the diffufive Body of the Catholick Church, whereof the Dioceẞ of Rome is but a Part, is wholly out of the Reach of this Cutting Objection.

Suppofe then that the Church, or Dioceß of Rome should be cut off (for I know of no Promises of Infallibility made to one Dioceẞs more than another) or fuppofe the whole Dioceẞs of Rome should be fwallow'd up by an Earthquake, would this destroy Christ's Myftical Body, the Church? Or would she want a Head, tho there were no fuch Town as Rome?

G. But why were thofe Words, thou shall't also be cut off, if thou continueft not in the Goodneẞ of God, particularly addrefs'd to the Church of Rome?

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L. Because the whole Epiftle was writ to the Ro mans, and the chief Motive of St Paul's Writing to them was, to put a Stop to the Disputes, that were between the converted Jews and Gentiles, that dwell'd at Rome each Party arrogating to itself an Advantage over the other. So that if those Difputes had happen'd amongst Chriftians at Corinth, or any other Town, the Apostle, whofe zeal was not confined to any particular Place, would in all Probability have writ the fame Epistle to them. And then your Argument would have made a most wretched Figure by being ftript of the Equivocation, which is it's main Support.

I answer then directly, that as no Promise of fallibility was ever made to any particular Dioceß or Natign, but to the Church in General, fo any parti

cular Dioceß or Nation may be cut off without involving the whole Church in that Apoftacy, or being any Proof, that the Promises made to her are Conditional

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S. 24.

The Church always Vifible and Holy.

F the Church in General it is faid Luke 18. .8. When the Son of Man cometh, shall be « find Faith upon Earth? Where will then that Vifi- « bility be, which Rome boasts of as an Effential Mark « of the true Church? pag. 30. «

L. Juft where it is at prefent, and where it has been in all Ages, viz. in the Catholick Church profess'd in the Creed, which will continue Vifible to the End of the World.

G. What, My Lord, do's not Chrift here pofitively declare, that when the Son of Man cometh, he shalḥ not find Faith upon Earth?

L. No, Sr, he says no fuch Thing. Nor could St Austin, who was a very clear-fighted Person, ever discover this Meaning in the Words, you have quoted. For he answer'd that very Text of St Luke objected by the Donatifts against the Church's Infallibility: first, by Telling them, that thofe Words, when the Son of Man cometh, shall he find Faith upon Earth? Were to be understood of that perfect Faith, which few attain to. L. de Unit. Eccl. C. 15. And St Jerom in his Dialogue against the Luciferians gives the very fame Answer to it. But St Austin adds a second in the Place quoted. His Words are these. Or elfe we understand them of that great Number of Wicked, and Scarcity of good Men, concerning which enough has already been faid. And therefore our Lord expreffes himSelf under a doubt (pray, Sr, mind what follows}

5. 24. for he fays not, when the Son of Man cometh, he will not find Faith upon Earth, but do you think he will find Faith upon Earth? To which he adds, that our Sa viour faid not this to exprefs any Doubt of his own, but because the many Scandals, which will arife towards the End of the World, will occafion human Weakneß to fpeak in that Manner.

Here then it is plain, that St Austin did not underftand, as you do, our Saviours doubtful Interrogation to be equivalent to this pofuive Affirmation, viz. that at his fecond Coming he shall not find Faith upon Earth, So in his Epiftle to the Donatift Vincentius he tells him thofe Words of Chrift were spoken propter Abundantiam iniquitatis, to exprefs the Abundance of Iniquity. And his following Words are remarkable. It is a Truth (fays he) not to be question'd, that they, whofe Faith Chrift will find upon Earth, will grow with the Tares all the Field over. Epift. 93. olim. 48. ad Vincentium. Befides the Church of Chrift is compared to a City fet upon a Hill, And I prefume a City on a Hill is a vifible Thing.

"G. She is likewife compared to a Women perfecuted into a Wilderneß, Rev. 12. V. 16. pag. 31.

L. I answer first, it is more than either you or I can tell, whether the Church be meant by that Woman: or what is meant by her being perfecuted into a Wilderneß. All Explications upon it are but Gueffes: and Gueffes are but a weak Foundation to build an Argument upon.

I anfwer 2. that the Ifraelits were perfecuted into the Wilderness by Pharao, yet I never read they were therefore become Invisible. Nor do I think a Church becomes invisible by being perfecuted.

» G. She is alfo compared to a Lodge in a Gar» den of Cucumbers, and to a befieged City. Ifa. 1. v. 8, pag. 31.

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