plain and evident to our Senfes and Reafon, is to be believ'd, tha all the Men and Churches in the World fhould perfuade us to the contrary; as that two and two make four: And thus far he owns him to be in the right, as every Man of Senfe and Reafon muft do; tho' a little after he is pleas'd to deny it in pag. 19. where he prefers the Authority of Tradition even before the Evidence of Senfe, and fuppofes that tho' God's Goodneß will not put it into Man's Heart to tell a Lie, yet bis Wifdom may have Reasons to impose upon the Senfes.

But he fays, that from this Fundamental Principle, it doth not follow that this is the Proteftant's Cafe with regard to the Papifts; no, I grant it doth not follow from thence, nor did the Archbishop make fo filly an Inference: But it doth neceffarily follow from this Suppofition, that if the Tenents of the Church of Rome are contrary to Senfe and Reafon, they muft needs be falfe; if they fhould teach that two and two do not make four, but five, or that the Subftance which I eat, and which my Senfes inform me is Bread, is not Bread, but the Body of a Man, that then they ought not to be believ'd, tho' never fo many Men or Churches fhould combine together to affirm thofe Propofitions to be true. And this is plain from hence, because Sense and Reafon are more certain Judges of Truth than any Human Authority can be. The beft Man in the World may be deceiv'd in his Opinions of Things, he may be biafs'd by Prejudice and Intereft Bodies of Men have been fo, and Councils have err'd; but Senfe and Reafon are the fureft Criterions of Truth; and upon their Teftimony all the Certainty which we have of Things is founded. To this N. C. answers, That if our Senfes

Senfes and Reason are to be credited before Authority, or Antient Tradition, that then the Church of Rome, and feveral other Churches, have been in an Error for many Years, and miftaken in feveral Points of their Religion, and have introduc'd into their Church feveral Tenents contrary to the Teftimony of Senfe and Reafon And all this I readily grant, nay, that the Roman Church was, and ftill continues fo much corrupted, that it requires the utmost of our Charity to believe it a true, tho' a very unfound part of the Catholick Church of Chrift. For as the Archbishop tells us, (Vol. 6. p. 261.) It is not neceffary that the whole Chriftian Church, or any part of it, fhould be free from all Errors and Corruptions; even the Churches planted by the Apoftles in the Primitive Times were not fo. St. Paul reproves feveral Doctrines and Pra"Atices in the Church of Corinth, and of Coloß, "and of Galatia; and the Spirit of God feveral things in the feven Churches of Afia ; and

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yet all these were Parts and Members of the "Catholick Church of Chrift, because they a"greed in the main and effential Doctrines of "Chriftianity; And when more and greater Corruptions grew in the Church, the greater "need there was of a Reformation. And as every particular Perfon has a right to Reform any thing that he finds amifs in himself, fo far as concerns himfelf; fo much more every "National Church hath a Power within it " felf to Reform it felf from all Errors and Corruptions: And whatever Part of the Church, how Great and Eminent foever, excludes from

"her Communion fuch a National Church for Reforming her felf from plain Errors and Cor"ruptions, clearly condemn'd by the Word of

God, and by the Doctrine and Practice of "the Primitive Chriftian Church, it is undoubtedly guilty of Schifm: And this is the Truth "of the Cafe between Us and the Church of Rome.

And in order to make Proof of this, I fhall confider:

Firft, What Arguments his Grace has made use of on the feveral Heads.

Secondly, What N. C. has advanc'd in abatement to the Force of them.

Thirdly, I fhall endeavour to give a plain and clear Answer to all his Objections; whereby 'twill become evident to every honest and intelligent Reader, that notwithstanding all thofe nice Distinctions which have been lately invented to reconcile thofe ContradiEtions we charge upon the Church of Rome; the Softnings which have been given to their Opinions, and the Mifreprefentations which have been made of them, contrary to their known Practice, and the Senfe of their moft allow'd Authors: Tet Popery is a Religion which teaches Doctrines directly contrary to the Revelation of the Holy Scriptures, the Dictates of Right Reafon, and the Evidence of our Senfes; And if so, that then no Perfon can now continue in the Communion of the Church of Rome, without extreme hazard of his Salvation: And that fuch Proteftants who have been once enlightned with the Knowledge of the Truth, and yet renounce their Holy Faith, and turn Papifts, are guilty of a Sin of the deepest Die, and of that Apoftacy which is near akin to the Sin againft the Holy Ghoft.

THE

THE

Roman Church not Catholick

And of the

Supremacy and Infallibility.

W

HEN the Church of Rome, which was deservedly eminent in the Times of the Apoftles, and fome fuc ceeding Ages, for the Soundness of its Faith, and the Exemplary Lives of its Profeffors, had by degrees in a long Tract of Time fo far corrupted itself, as to be come guilty of notorious Superftition and Idolatry, then it pleafed God to raise up many Worthies, Men endowed with an Apoftolical Spirit, and a Primitive Zeal for the Truth, who, with the hazard of all, their Worldly Interefts, fet about that, Great and Glorious Work, The Reforming the Church, and restoring it to its Primitive Purity and Holiness,

But as foon as by the Bleffing of God) our first Reformers had made fome Progress in it, and it became visible to the B

World,

World, that there were many notorious Errors, many Superftitious and Idolatrous Practices in the Church of Rome, fuch as could not be justified either by Reason or Scripture; then those whofe Interest inclin'd them to retain thefe Corruptions, made it their Business either to defend them by fome plaufible Arguments, or at leaft to palliate them by fome frivolous Excuses; and amongst thofe, the Doctrine of the Infalliblity of the Church, efteem'd the main Prop by which Popery was to be upheld and fupported.

was

For, if the Church cannot err in delivering the Doctrine fhe receiv'd from Jefus Chrift, nor mistake in her Explanation thereof; then (as they tell us) we have nothing elfe to do, but first to inquire which is the True Church? and fecondly, what this Church Teaches and (without troubling our felves farther about the particular Controverfies of Religion) to take up our Faith on Trust, and fit down and believe whatfoever the Spiritual Guides of the Church dictate to us, and we fhall be fav'd. Now,the Papifts would have us be fo good natur'd as to take it for granted:

1.That the Holy Catholick Church doth confift only of fuch Members as are in Communion with the Church of Rome; and that all those who are excommunicated by it, (which is the greatest Part of the Chriftian