thee. Be not high-minded, but fear. What need they to fear, who had the Privilege of Infallibility? Their Faith must needs be unshaken : But St. Paul feems to think that Church to be in as much danger of falling from the Faith as any other. Neither do the Ancient Fathers in their Difputes with Hereticks, appeal to this Judge, tho' it was fo thort and expedite a way of ending Controverfies. And this very Confideration to a Wife Man, is inftead of a thousand Arguments, to fatisfie him that in thofe Times no fuch thing was believed in the World.

To this N. C. anfwers, That those Texts of Scripture which prove the Ro46 man Church to be the Catholick Church, prove allo the Infallibility of the Church, "but thofe have been already accounted for: Then he affirms, That the Ancient Fathers did appeal to this Judge,and quotes a Sentence out of St. Auftin, which is no. thing to this purpose; the Father fays, That he should not be lieve the Gospel, but that the Authority of the Church moves him to it; the true meaning of which is, That 'tis by the Authority of the Church, that we judge what Books are Canonical, and what not; and that the true Books are diftinguish'd from the fpurious, by the Church giving Teftimony that they were the genuine Books, written in those

Times, by those Perfons whose Names they bear; and then he remits the Reader to Tertullian, St. Auftin, Epiphanius, but quotes nothing out of them, which he would certainly have done (being is very liberal of his Quotations out of the Fa thers if the cafe were fo plain as he pretends.

3. The Archbishop argues farther, that we may as well expect an Infallible Judge in Temporal Matters as in Spiritual. The ground of this Argument is this, The Papifts in defence of their Infallibility urge, that an Infallible Judge is necessary, because otherwife every particular Man would be left to judge for himself; and if every Man fhould judge for himself, there would be nothing but confufion in Religion, there would be no end of Controverfies; fo that an Univerfal, Infalli ble Judge is neceffary; and without this, God had not made fufficient Provifion for the affurance of Mens Faith, and for the Peace and Unity of his Church, or as 'tis exprefs'd in the Canon Law, Aliter Domimus non videretur fuisse discretus, otherwife our Lord had not feem'd to be dif creet.

To this his Grace anfwers, That 'tis high Prefumption in Men to fay, God fhould do thus or thus; but they ought rather to confider what he has done, and to lay their Mouths

Mouths in the Duft, and to admire the Wisdom of his Doings.

Secondly, That if this Argument had âny fenfe in it, it would prove that there ought to be an Infallible Judge fet over us in Temporal Matters as well as Spiritual, because the one is as necessary to the Peace of the World, as the other to the Peace of the Church; and that Men are every whit as apt to be perverse about Matters of Temporal Right, as about Matters of Faith.

To this N. C. replies, That this Life 'is a State of Trial, and that we must pass thro' much Tribulation into the Kingdom of God; and therefore God permits the Cruelty of Tyrants to try the Patience of Martyrs, and suffers the Oppreffion of "the Poor on Earth, to enhance their Re'ward in Heaven; fo that the Cruelty or "Errors of a Temporal Judge do rather increase, than diminish the Happiness of the Juft: But that the Cafe is far otherwife in Spiritual Matters; if the Judge' 'fhould fpoil us of our Faith, or err in Judging for us, it would cause our eternal Ruin, our Damnation being necessarily confequent upon a falfe Belief. And for that Reafon, the Goodness of God feems 'to be fo much the more engag'd to fecure' the Spiritual, than the Temporal Judge from Error.

In which Reply, N. C. is guilty of feve ral gross Mistakes; for, First, he fuppofes that every Man must rely upon the Judgment of fome Spiritual Judge, and that his Salvation depends upon the Certainty of this his judgment; but this we Protéftants deny, and think that God has much better provided for us, by giving every one liberty to judge for himself. And, Secondly, he mistakes the Archbishop's Argument, which is only levell'd against that idle pretence of the Papifts, That 'tis very convenient that there should be fuch an Infallible Fudge of Controverfies: To which his Grace replies, That 'tis a high Prefumption in Man to think, that God must do whatsoever he fancies convenient. And, Thirdly, it seems much more convenient that there fhould be no Infallible Judge, because if we were infallibly certain of the Articles of our Faith, our Af fent to them would be no Virtue, and we fhould lose that Bleffing which is pronounced on those who have not feen, and yet believe, because we fhould be more certain than if we had feen them. N. C. fays farther, That Chrift threatens eternal Damnation to all thofe who will not believe his Doctrine, which cannot ftand with his infinite Goodness, unlefs he had provided infallible Means of conveying the Truth of this Doctrine to them.

Whereas his Grace has often told them, and particularly in his Preface to his First Volume of Sermons, That there may be fuch Evidence as no Wife Man may have reafon to question, tho' there should be no Infallibility at all; and therefore when we have fuch a Moral Aurance of the Truth of thefe Articles of our Faith which are propos'd to us, we have good reason to be content with this Evidence, and to give our full Affent to it.

Fourthly, His Grace argues, That an Infallible Judge, if there were one, is no certain way to end Controverfies, and and to preferve the Unity of the Church; unless it were likewife infallibly certain, that there is fuch a Judge, and who he is. For till Men are fure of both thefe, there will fill be a Controverfie, Who the Infallible Judge is, and where to find him. And if it be true which they tell us, That without an Infallible Judge Controverfies can never be ended, then a Controverfie concerning an Infallible Judge can never be ended.

To this N. C. anfwers, That he has already prov'd both, that there is an Infallible Judge, and who this Infallible Judge

is.

But, First, How has he prov'd that there is an Infallible Judge? He pretends to prove it from Reafon, and Scripture,

and