the Tradition of one and the fame Faith. So in another place; But if any of thefe Hereticks dare pretend to Apoftolical Antiquity, that they may feem to come from the Apostles, because they were in their time; then fay we, let them fhew the Original of their Churches, let them give us a Catalogue of their Bifhops in an orderly Succeffion to one another, and fhew that their first Bishop had for his Predeceffor fome Apostle, or Apoftolick Man, who continued firm and conftant to the Apoftles. For this tryal the Apoftolical Churches will undergo: As for Example, the Church of Smyrna can fhew her Polycarp,placed there by St. John, as the Church of the Romans dath Clement, ordained by St. Peter. In like manner the rest of the Churches have thofe to fhew, who were made their Bishops by Succeffion from the Apostles. Let the Hereticks fay this of themselves if they can: For after fo much blafphemy they need stick at nothing. But in truth their Doctrine compared with that of the Apostles, will fhew by its difference from it, and contradiction to it, that it did not come from any Apostle, or Apoftolick Man. For as the Apostles taught nothing different from one another, fo neither did the Apoftolick Men publish any thing contrary to what the Apostles taught, or preached otherwife than as they learned from the Apostles, After this manner ought all thofe later Churches to be tried, which have been founded fince the Apostles, and are ftill daily founded, though not by an Apoftle, or Apoftolick Man, For if they agree in the Profeffion of the fame Faith, they are to be accounted no lefs Apoftolick than the Churches planted by the Apofiles, because of their affinity in Doctrine. After this "manner their own Churches challenge the Hereticks to prove themselves either way to be Apoftolick. But they are far from being fuch, nor can they prove themfelves to be what they are not, nor are they received into Peace and Communion by any of the Churches,

Cap. 32.

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that

a

that are in either refpect Apoftolick. For in truth they cannot be Apoftolick, because of the difference as to the Faith between them and the Apoftolick Churches.

To the fame purpofe in another place: Survey the Apoftolick Churches, in which Bishops prefide in the Thrones of the Apostles, and in which the very Authentick or original Epiftles of the Apostles are read, expreffing the Voice, and reprefenting the Perfon of every one of them. If Achaia be near thee, there thou haft the Church of Corinth. If thou art not far from Macedonia, there thou haft the Churches of Philippi and Theffalonica. If thou wilt go into Afia, there thon haft the Church of Ephefus. But if thou liveft near Italy, there thou haft the Church of Rome, from whence we of Africa derive our Miffion. bleffed Church! upon which the Apostles poured out all. their Doctrine with their Blood; where Peter fuffered upon the Cross, as our Lord did; where Paul was bebeaded, as John Baptist was, and received the fame Crown of Martyrdom; where John the Apostle, when he was plunged into boiling Oil came out without harm, and was banished into Patmos. Let us Yee mbat she received, and what he hath taught, for fhe also is in Communion with our African Churches. She knows but one God, Creator of the Universe, and Chrift Fefus the Son of God the Creator, born of the Virgin Mary, and the Resurrection of the Body. She receives the Law and the Prophets, with the Writings of the Evangelifts, and Apostles and from them the imbibes the Faith, which The figns in Baptifm and clothes with the white Robe of the Holy Spirit, and feeds with the Holy Eucharift. She exhorts to Martyrdom, and receives no body who holds any thing against this Inftitution. If these things be fo, the Truth must be on our fide, who

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Ob diverfitatem Sacramenti nullo modo Apoftolicæ. Rece intelligit Macerus de Sacramento fidei in Eaptino. Pamel în Agnor. b. Cap. 36.

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walk by the fame Rule, that which the Church received: from the Apostles, the Apostles from Chrift, and Chrift from God.

From thefe Paffages, Sir, it is easy to make a Comment on the Words of St. Jude, which you have chofen for the Text of your Anfwer to my Challenge. First, Then the Perfons who delivered the Faith, for which we are to contend, were the Apostles, and Apoftolick Men, whom the A poftles fent out to preach that Faith, and plant Churches over the World. Secondly, The Saints to whom they delivered it, were the Chriftians of thofe Churches which they planted in every place; First, Among the Jews and Samaritans in the Holy-Land, and then among the Gentiles in Syria, Afia, Greece and Italy; as at Antioch, Smyrna, Ephefus, Corinth, and Rome, which were all equally efteemed Apoftolick Churches. Secondly, From thefe Churches were daily propagated other Churches, which were reputed Apoftolick, because they were the Off-fpring of Apoftolick Churches. And from these again were propagated others, which were accounted no lefs Apoftolick than the Churches planted by the Apoftles, because of their Agreement in Doctrine, and Profeffion of the fame Faith with the Apoftolick Churches; and fo are all Churches, which are ftill daily founded, to be called and esteemed Apoftolick, though not founded like the Churches above mentioned by an Apoftle, or Apoftolick Man. Thirdly, All the feveral Churches, when Tertullian wrote in the next Age to the Apostles, were esteemed as Apoftolick and integral Parts of the Catholick Church without any relation to, or dependance upon the Church of Rome. Fourthly, The Catholick Church was then made up of all the Apoftolick Churches, not by virtue of any special Union with, and under the Church of Rome, but by a mutual co-ordinate Union in the fame Faith, and Communion, and bro

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therly Charity with another. Catholick in that Age primarily fignified Univerfal; but then becaufe all particular Churches which made up the Catholick, or Univerfal, had one and the fame Faith and Difcipline, and every Part profeffed what the Whole, and the Whole what every Part did; therefore Catholick came to fignify Pure, Sound and Apoftolical, and was attributed to all faithful Churches, as well as to the Church of Rome. This, Sir, you know I have fhew'd against my Adverfary, whofe Defence you have undertook, in my Book, intituled, Several Letters, &c. I fay Catbolick, from fignifying Univerfal, came to be taken for Pure, Sound, and Apoftolical; and was in this fenfe given as an honourable Title to all faithful Churches. But then, Sir, I must tell you, that as more modern Churches founded in later Times, were accounted no lefs Apoftolick than the Churches planted by the Apostles upon the score of the Apoftolick Faith; fo by the fame Rule, the most ancient Churches are no longer to be called, or accounted Apoftolick, and Catholick, than they keep to that Faith without Innovations, Mixtures, and Additions; and Teaching for Doctrines of God the Traditions and Inventions of Men, as your Church hath done. This, Sir, I have faid not only to fhew the Impropriety, and Arrogance of calling your Church Catholick, as Catholick fignifies Univerfal; but to detect her Injustice, as well as the Injuftice of her Writers in calling her Catho

• Quanquam & fi quofdam inter Domefticos, ut ita dixerim, differebant, non tamen ea fuiffe credendum eft, quæ aliam fidei regulam fuperducerent diverfam, & contrariam illi quam CATHOLICE in medium proferebant, Tert. de Præfcript. c. 26. Nam conftar illos, neque adeo olim fuiffe Antonini fere principatu & in Catholica primo doctrinam credidiffe apud Ecclefiam Romanenfem, ibid. c. 30. So in his Book againft Marcion, c. 22. He calls the Chriftian Church planted in its feveral Members through the World, Catholicam Hierufalem.

lick, as Catholick fignifies Pure, Sound and Apoftolical, becaufe fhe hath alter'd the Apoftolick Faith which they delivered to the Churches, by adding strange Doctrines to it; and particularly that of her being the Mother and Mistress of all Churches, and by confequence the Principle of Union to them, as the Head is to the Body; from whence throughout the Council of Trent, the prefumes to call her felf the Catholick Church; and her Court-Writers, among whom I reckon you, to call her, in exclusion of all other Churches, the Holy Catholick, and the Holy Catholick, Apoftolick, nay, the Holy Catholick, Apoftolick, Univerfal Church. Thefe terms, Sir, you have bestowed plentifully upon her in your Anfwer to my Challenge, and the Defence of it; though Tertullian, where he fets himself to fpeak moft magnificently of her, only reckons her among the Churches founded by the Apostles, but fignalized above the reft in the Number and Quality of her Martyrs. But had he known her to be the Miftrefs and Head of all Churches, and the Principle of Union to them had he known that it was fhe, which infufed Unity and Catholicism into all the other Churches; and that they were only Catholick, as Members of her, he could never have omitted thefe Privileges, thefe Fundamental Doctrines of Chriftian Faith, and Communion; which to have mentioned had been ten times more for her Honour than the Martyrdom of Peter, and Paul, and of St. John's being caft into a Caldron of boiling Oil at Rome.

Here therefore, Sir, to ufe my Author's Phrafe, I prefcribe against your calling the Church of Rome the Catholick Church in any fenfe, or limiting the Catholick Church to her and the Churches in Communion with her, which now are but a Part, and the most uncatholick, unapoftolick Part of the univerfal Church; which with new and pernicious Mixtures hath adulterated the old Faith, which

the