'tis plain, he was not: yet how would that prove, that the church of Rome is the mother and mistress of all churches; and that the pope of Rome is bishop of bishops, and prince of all paftors; and that obedience is to be promised and fworn to the bishop of Rome, as vicar of Jefus Chrift? How endless is the number of fuppofitions, vain and falfe fuppofitions, upon which fuch a doctrine muft be built? Efpecially how fhall the unlearned christian, who is forbidden to read the fcriptures, and has no acquaintance with ecclefiaftical hiftory; how fhall he arrive at fuch a knowledge, as fhall enable him with a good confcience to make fuch a promife as is required in this article? Yet this, as well as all the reft, is made neceffary to falvation! So fays the conclufion of this creed, in the words of pope Pius V. And to the fame purpose fays* the Canon-Law, in the words of Boniface VIII. Moreover we declare, and fay, and define, and pronounce to every human creature; that it is altogether neceffary to falvation, to be fubject to the Roman pontif. But indeed it is no wonder, that fubjection to the popes fhould be made neceffary to falvation, when we confider the titles and powers they claim to themfelves. Thus pope + Nicholas fays: It appears evidently enough, that the pontif can neither at all be bound or loofed by the fecular power; whom 'tis

certain

* Porro, fubeffe Romano pontifici, omni humanæ creaturæ declaramus, dicimus, definimus & pronunciamus, omnino effe de neceffitate falutis. Extrav. commun. de majorit. & obed. lib. I. tit. 8. сар. 1.

+ Satis evidenter oftenditur, à feculari poteftate nec ligari prorfus, nec folvi poffe pontificem ; quem conflat à pio principe Conftantino Deum appellatum; nec poffe Deum ab homini us judicari manifeilum eft. Decret. part. I. diftinct. 96. c. 7.

certain Constantine, that pious prince, called God: and 'tis manifeft that God cannot be judged by men. Nor is it any wonder, that from this pretended fulness of power they undertake to dethrone princes, and to abfolve. their fubjects from all obligations of fidelity and obedience. But whatever extravagant power they may blafphemously affume to themselves; our bufinefs is to take care, above all things, that we obey God: and this in many cases it will be impoffible to do, without disobeying them.

The last article is conceived in the following words.

XII. I do without doubting receive and profefs all other things which have been delivered, defined and declared by the facred canons and ecumenical councils, and efpecially by the holy fynod of Trent: and all things contrary thereunto, and all herefies condemned, rejected and anathematized by the church, I do likewife condemn, reject and anathematize.

This is very fit to be the concluding article of the overbearing and perfecuting church of Rome. The private unlearned christian muft, at the peril of his falvation, without any doubting, receive and profefs (what he never had nor can ever ex

pect

pect to have the opportunity of knowing) all things which have been delivered, defined and declared by the facred canons and ecumenical councils, and especially by the fynod of Trent. It would be hard enough to require a full affent to all these things, even from those who were beft acquainted with them. Nor indeed do I believe, that any one perfon in the world, not even they who advised pope Pius to give authority to this article, nor his holiness himself, did ever without doubting receive all the things here required to be received. And And yet without this faith, you will presently be told, no man can be faved.

But even the believing all this is not enough. You are not a true believer in the church of Rome, if you do not condemn, and anathematize all that is under that character condemned and anathematized by the church. You must coucur with the church in condemning for heretics all those whom the church condemns; that is, all thofe, who do not believe exactly as the church believes, and who will not in every refpect do as the church bids them. And what is the confequence of this; but that you must give your confent to the burning, or otherwife cruelly tormenting and destroying, all thofe, whofe confciences will not fuffer them to profess what they cannot fee reason to believe? Let a man give ever fuch clear proofs of the integrity of his heart, by a holy course of life; and let him ever fo folemnly declare, that there are some things required by the church of Rome, which he believes to be contrary to the mind of Chrift, or at leaft is not convinced that they are agreeable

to

to his mind yet according to this article he is a heretic, and must be treated as a heretic.

In this and the preceding article you fee the true fpirit of popery: you fee it is of the very effence of popery to domineer over the confciences of men, and to exercise all manner of severity and cruelty, for the fupport of that domination. By this twelfth article all those, who receive any thing contrary to what the church of Rome receives, are anathematized as heretics. By virtue. of the preceding, which requires an intire obedience to the pope, as vicar of Jefus Chrift, all the punishments which he requires to be inflicted on heretics, muft by the true fons of the church be inflicted on them. From these two fprings, and from the fame doctrine, taught and inculcated by the church of Rome, before this creed of pope Pius was formed, have ftreamed forth the horrid wickedness, of fubjects renouncing allegiance to fuch princes as would not obey the pope, and even of murdering them and all their adherents.

Out of the numerous particulars, which by this article the Romanist profeffes without doubting to receive, I fhall make only one quotation; from the great Lateran council, holden by pope Innocent III. in the year 1215. which for brevity's fake I shall quote only in English. From this alone proteftants may fufficiently fee, what the creed of a papift obliges him to; and what they themselves must expect, if they fall into popish hands. 'Tis made a part of the * Canon-Law; and is expreffed as follows.

*Decret. Gregor, lib. V. tit. 7. cap. 13.

We

We excommunicate and anathematize all herefy, which lifts up itself against this holy, orthodox and catholic faith, which we have Jet forth; condemning all heretics, by what names foever they be reckoned. Let those who are condemned be left to the fecular powers in being, or their bailiffs, to be by them punished with due animadverfion; they of the clergy being first degraded from their orders: fo that the goods of thofe condemned, if they be of the laiety, be confifcated; if of the clergy, applied to thofe churches from which they received ftipends. As for those, who shall be found only marked with the fufpicion of herefy: if they do not, according to the confideration of the fufpicion, and the quality of perfon, prove their own innocency by a fuitable purgation; let them be fmitten with the word of anathema, and, till they give a fitting fatisfaction, be avoided by all: fo that if they remain a whole year under excommunication, they be from that time condemned as heretics. But let all fecular powers, whatever offices they exercife, be admonished and induced, and if need be let them by the cenfures of the church be compelled, as ever they would wish to be accounted faithful, for the defence of the faith publicly to take an oath, that they will bona fide, according to their power, endeavour to exterminate heretics, marked out by the church, from all the lands fubject to their jurifdiction; fo that from the time when any one shall be advanced into power, whether perpetual or temporal, he shall be obliged to confirm this matter with an oath. But if the temporal Lord, being thereunto by the church required and admonished, fhall neglect to purge bis territory