To the extent possible under law, the Text Creation Partnership has waived all copyright and related or neighboring rights to this keyboarded and encoded edition of the work described above, according to the terms of the CC0 1.0 Public Domain Dedication (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/). This waiver does not extend to any page images or other supplementary files associated with this work, which may be protected by copyright or other license restrictions. Please go to http://www.textcreationpartnership.org/ for more information.
THE first that offereth it self is the Church of Rome, or rather the Levia∣than of that Church, the Pope, who pretends to an universality and infallible guidance in Spiritualibus, by reason of his Chair, and Suc∣cession from St. Peter. But shall we receive that Chair to be Infallible, wherein (though it were famous for purity of Doctrine and Martyrdom in the Churches infancy) have been placed persons, who subscribed their names
for confirmation of Heretical Doctrines, as Liberius did in the case of Arianism, witnes∣sed by several Fathers, and so far confirmed by Platina, as he affirms him sensisse cum Ari∣anis; and which Chair hath also frequently been possessed by persons guilty of notorious habitual sins, giving little hope of their Salva∣tion, as is generally confessed by Romish Do∣ctors; which Chair hath also buoyed it self to such a height above all other power whatso∣ever, and this by a constant encroachment up∣on the Empire, which Empire without offence taken by former holy Bishops, constantly used the Power of calling and dissolving Coun∣cils? Shall we think that pretended Spiritual dignity to be of God, or as it calleth self the Vicariate of Christ, who said his Kingdom was not of this world, and whose Successors glo∣ried in Poverty and Martyrdom, whereas this aboundeth in Riches and exterior power above any thing now extant in the Christian World? The managing of controversal Polemiques is a burthen too heavy for my shoulders, and there∣fore I leave it to our Protestant Divines, who have very sufficiently impugned the Doctrines, wherein they differ from ours; yet I may be pardoned if I offer some reasons, which are prevalent with me so far, as never to hold spiritual communion with them, till a change of their chief tenets, of which change there is very little hope. I take the two principal points to be these: That of the Pope's Supre∣macy,
and that of Transubstantiation in the Sacrament, and I cannot concur with them in these, because they are absolutely opposite to common reason. As for a Supremacy over the Church, which Church is (or may be) dispersed over the whole World, it is impossi∣ble that any such Supremacy should be held by any, but Christ himself, who is God Om∣niscient and Omnipotent. For how can any one person know, what is done in all parts of the World, or hold such correspondence as to receive intelligence and convey orders Univer∣sally, since a great part of the Earth is yet undiscovered, and we know little or nothing of that which is already discovered? There might be some seeming necessity of such a Supremacy in Spirituals, as a means of Union in the Roman World (as it was usually called) which was under one Prince, or in any such large tract of ground under several Princes, so as the office of a Patriarch might seem reasonable. But there appeareth little sense for an univer∣sal Bishop, the exercise of whose Jurisdiction must be impracticable. I may profess, that upon conference with very considerable per∣sons of the Romish, Faith, I could never re∣ceive satisfaction to this Objection, and I be∣lieve that none can be given. The other point of the Eucharist, is as contrary to rea∣son, as it is unnecessary to be believed; for how can it be thought, that at the first admi∣nistration of that Sacrament by our Saviour
himself, the Bread and Wine delivered by him could be Transubstantiated, when his Body replenished with Blood was present at the Ta∣ble, and instrumental in the delivery? And why should this be believed, when Transub∣stantiation takes wholly away the sign, which is an essential part of the Sacrament, viz. Bread and Wine, which are absolutely taken away in their substance, as the Romish Doc∣tors fully declare? And to say nothing of car∣nal Manducation, which so offended the Ca∣pernaitans, what fruit can there be of eating without faith, for so Judas did, and perished? The chief use therefore of this, and the other Sacrament (or more, if any there be) is Spi∣ritual, and may be preserved without an or∣dinary working of Miracles. I must upon these grounds conclude against such a guide, unless he were indeed Infallible, the contrary whereof doth so fully appear.