The fame is attefted by the Pope's own Letter related by St Athanafius. For (fays the Pope) Athanafius did not come of his own Accord, but as cited, and having received our Letters. In Apol. Adv. Ari. §. 29. P. 148.

Relating to the fame Matter the Greek Hiftorians Socrates and SoZomen tell us, that both St Athanafius, and other Oriental Bishops being accufed by the' Eufebians, and violently deprived of their refpective Sees were restored by the Authority of the Bishop

of Rome.

Sozomen fpeaking of Marcellus, Afclepas, St Lu tius Bishop of Adrianople, and St Paul Bishop of Con ftantinople lays, the Bishop of Rome having taken Cognifance of their Caufe, received them into his Communion. And becaufe, BY REASON OF THE DIGNITY OF HIS SEE, THE CARE OF ALL BELONG'D TO HIM he reStored them to their respective Bishopriks. Soz. L. 3. C. 8.

P. 507.

And Socrates writes thus. When Athanafius, Paulus, Afclepas, Marcellus and Lucius had open'd their Caufe to Julius, he ACCORDING TO THE PREROGATIVE OF THE ROMAN SEE, fent them back into the Eaft with the Protection of his Letters, and restored to each of them his See. L. 2. C. 15. p. 91.

Here we see the Supreme Ecclefiaftical Authority exercised by the Bishop of Rome: acknowledg'd by the Arians themselves, fubmitted to by the two first Patriarchs, and other Bishops of the Eaft, and finally attefted by three Greek Hiftorians. And can. you then fay, the Supremacy was never own'd by the Greek Church?

I prove it fecondly from three of the four first General Councils, In that of Conftantinople none but 0riental Bishops were prefent: Yet the Fathers of that Council in their Synodical Letter to Pope Damasus

thank him for Calling them to a Council as his Mem bers: And Damafus in his Anfwer ftiles them his most honourable Children. Apud Theod. L. 5. Hift. EC. 9.10.

C

In the General Council of Ephesus Pope Celestine's Legate told the Council that his Mafter was their Head, and the Succeffor of St Peter, whofe place and Authority the Bishop of Rome held. Against which not one in the Council made the leaft Objection. Act. 2. T. 3. Conc. p. 619. Act. 3. p. 626.

.

Laftly, the General Council of Calcedon in it's Syno dical Letter to Pope Leo, after having told him, that they were an Affembly of 520 Bishops over whom he had prefided as HEAD, they complain of the In folence of Diofcorus Patriarch of Alexandria in these Terms. Moreover he let loose his Madneß even against him, who was by our Saviour entrusted with the Care of the Vineyard; that is, against your Apoftolical Highneß. And they conclude with defiring the Pope to ho nour their Judgment with his Decree. Conc. Calced. in Epift, ad Leonem. Tom. 4. If this be not Owning the Pope's Supremacy, no King was ever own'd by his Subjects. And 'tis to be observed, that these are three of the four General Councils approved and received by the Church of England.

Add to all this the above-mention'd Teftimony of St Gregory declaring it to be a Thing, which no Body doubted of, viz. that Conftantinople was fubject to the Apoftolick See. L. 9. Epift. 59. p. 976. And both St Cyprian and St Austin two African Bishops, whom I have already quoted for the Supremacy both of St Peter and his Succeffors, are authentick Witneffes, that the Affrican Churches acknowledg'd both the one and the other.

§. 17.

Whether the Church in Communion with the See of Rome never was one Half of the great Body of Chriftians in the World?

6. But your Lordship has not yet

taken any

No

tice of my Saying, that the Church of Rome neither is, nor ever was one Half of the great Body of Chriftians in the World.

L. Sr, that's the third Falsehood I have accused you of. And I shall obferve certain Epocha's of Time in Order to make good my Charge, and place it in the clearest Light.

First then, when St Paul wrote his Epistle to the Romans, which was 15 Years after St Peter had fix'd his Epifcopal Seat at Rome, 'tis undeniable, that the great Body of Chriftians all the World over was in Communion with that See. For otherwise he could not have told them, that he thanked God, for that their Faith was spoken throughout the whole World. Rom. 1. V. 8. And tho there were feveral Herefies broach'd in the three first Centuries, the great Body of Chrif tians was always clofely united to the Bishop of Rome as to it's Head: Witnefs St Irenaus, who wrote in the 2d Century thus. For to this Church by Reafon of it's most powerful Principality it is necessary that all Churches have Recourse, that is, the Faithful on all Sides. L. 3. C. 3. 'Tis therefore falfe that there never was a Time, wherein the Church in Communion with the See of Rome was one Half of the great Body of Chriftians in the World.

2. The first great General Council of Nice was cer tainly in Communion with Pope Sylvefter. And was that Auguft Affembly the Representatives of net

ལྟ

one Half of the great Body of Chriftians in the World? 3. The Greek Schifm began only in the 9th Cen tury, and fince a Schifm is nothing else but a Breach of Communion, it follows, that the whole Greek Church was before that Schifm in Communion with the Church of Rome. I defire you then to let me know, in what Communion the Great Body of Chriftians was before that fatal Rupture, if the Church in Communion with the See of Rome was not one Half of that Body! I affure you, Sr, unless you can answer me this Question, you'l be in Danger of Passing for a very unfaithful Stater of Cafes.

But 4thly, and laftly, to come down nearer to the Epocha of the Reformation, how will your Words agree with Martin Luther's primo folus eram, at first I was alone? [Preface to his Works] Or with Cal vin's Saying Epift. 141. that the Reform'd Churches broke off from the Communion of the whole World, à toto Orbe Difceffionem facere coacti fumus? Or finally, with your Homily-Book: the Authority whereof is fo great amongst you, that the 35th Article orders it to be read in Churches, as containing a Godly and wholesome Doctrine.

Now the Homily against the Peril of Idolatry 3d Part London, 1687. pag. 251. has these remarkable Words. Laity and Clergy, Learned and Unlearned, all Ages, Sects and Degrees of Men, Women and Chil dren of whole Christendom have been at once drown'd in abominable Idolatry ---- and that for the Space of 800 Tears and more. If this be Godly and Wholesome Doctrine, viz. that whole Christendom was for Soo Years. drown'd in abominable Idolatry (whereby Popery according to Proteftant Language is plainly mark'd out) then your afferting, that the Church in Communion with the See of Rome never was one Half of the great Body of Christians, which is a flat Contradic

tion to it, is not only falfe, but ungodly and pernicious Doctrine.

ADVERTISEMENT.

It appears plainly from this and the 2 former Sections, how much there was to be faid to the Gentleman's Last Words CS. pag. 19. 20. yet the good peaceable Lord only answer'd this one Line to it. L. But those other Churches do not communicate with each other. p. 20. to which the Gentleman replies thus.

»G.

NO

1

Or Rome with any of them. So that she stands by herself, as other Churches do. » And the most irreconcilably of any. Because by » her Principles she cannot communicate with any, > who will not own her Supremacy. Which as it » never was done by the greatest Part of the Catho »lick Church, fo there is little Appearance that it » ever will be: for it is obfervable that no Nation, » that broke off from Rome, did ever return to her » again. It is a hard Matter for one that has efca

ped out of a Snare, to be inveigled thither again. »So that it is very visible Rome has been upon the lofing Hand about thefe 200 Years paft. And that » not only as to thofe, who have quite forfaken » her, but as to the Change of Principles, and Low»ring her Supremacy, and Infallibility amongst those » who still remain in her Communion; which I shall shew your Lordship prefently; and that Old and » New Popery are very different Things, and that » Rome itself has in some Measure been reform'd by » our Reformation. pag. 20.

C. Sr, I shall give a very brief Answer to the good-natured Things you have faid. First, you tell me, that the Church of Rome ftands by herself as other

Churches