II. fays,

VOL. Son. A perfon fpeaking of one of the Popes "His name is WONDERFUL;" affuming that which is fpoken of Chrift in Ifaiah, and applying it unto him. They call him also, in exprefs terms, the HEAD of the Church, the HUSBAND of the Church, the FOUNDATION of the Church; titles peculiarly belonging unto Chrift. One fays, "He is the bead, exclufo

Chrifto;" that is, Chrift being excluded, and without any confideration of him. "He is "(faith he) the achmè; the fupreme, and CHIEF

For

of the Church, fucceeding in the room of "Chrift; and all power is tranflated from Chrift "to him." Not derived, but transferred; as if it were removed from Chrift, or as if he ceafed from his primacy over the Church, and transferred it himself to this vicarious God. this they think a modeft name, and that the power is lodged in him, fo as to refide in Chrift no longer. And hereupon, though they do fpeculatively own a fuperior Head of the Church, yet practically they own no higher, when this notion obtains among them. Here their religion ftops. Here it feems to terminate, and to ga no higher. For how little fufpicion do they discover, that thofe fins are yet unpardoned, which the Pope pardons! Or how little dread appears among them, of having his judgement reversed by a fuperior judgement! And fo they fpeak of this headship, which they attribute to the Pope over the Church, and reprefent it in

↑ Ifai. 1x. 6.

Summum caput ecclefiæ.

the

V.

the fame manner in which it is attributed unto SER M. Chrift; that is, they fay the influence of life is communicated by him to the Church; and reprefent it as flowing from this fictitious head of theirs. But

(2.) SUCH Scriptures alfo, as fpeak of the dignity, power, and greatness of Chrift, they do most familiarly apply to the Pope; fome ridiculously, and others impiously, even to blafphemy itself. That paffage in the eighth Pfalm, is an inftance; Thou haft made him a little lower than the Angels, and baft crowned him with glory and bonour, and haft made him to have dominion over the works of thy hands 8. This paffage which the Apoftle applies to Chrift, they apply to the Pope. And it is not to be imagined with what absurdity they do minutely apply the feveral following particulars to his Holinefs. As where it is faid, Thou haft given him to have dominion. over the fowls of the air, by that they would have the Gentiles understood; by the oxen, they understand the Jews; by the beafts of the field, the Pagans; and by the sheep, the generality of Chriftians; and finally, by the fish of the fea, or whatsoever paffeth through the paths thereof, which are alfo faid to be put under his feet, they understand purgatory. So ridiculous that nothing can be more fo!

BUT in other of their applications they are moft horribly blafphemous. They have not fcrupled to apply to him fuch paffages as thefe;

• Pfalm VIII. 5, & feq.

I

VOL. I will make him my firft-born, higher than the kings II. of the earth". Yea, and even this alfo, From bis fullness we have all received grace for grace', which fome of their writers have, in exprefs, terms, applied to the Pope.

(3.) WHICH is yet more particular, they ascribe unto him infallibility, as to all matters of faith; which is a peculiar attribute of the Deity, as fuch. "He cannot err," fays one exprefly concerning the Pope; "He cannot be deceived. "It must be conceived concerning him that he

knows all things." Another expreffes himfelf thus; " He has all things in the cheft, the "cabinet of his own breaft. He is unto all "the world a living law, that cannot err; and "in which there is no obliquity:" And the like.

How very likely is it, that where this notion is prevailing, practice it self should go no higher than this notion? How likely is it that the faith of multitudes, on this account, muft terminate on this fuppofed infallible creature? And fo, what comes all that religion to, which hath, as to that part of it that confifts in believing, only a man for its final object, and fo is made purely a human thing?

HEREUPON they refolve all the validity of the Scriptures themselves into the authority of the Pope, or the Church, which is much the fame thing. One fays, that from the Church or Bishop of Rome the whole book of facred Scrip

tures

h Pfal. LXXXIX. 27.

John 1. 16.

V.

tures draws all its ftrength. And another to the SER M. fame purpose, that the facred Scripture draws all its force from the authority of the Bishop or Church of Rome. Finally, another is fo bold as to say very profanely, that the Scriptures have no more authority than fop's fables, but as they derive it from the Church. So that it is very plain they place Deity upon this fame creature, and idol of their own making, in as much as they afcribe to him infallibility in all things; which is one of the peculiar attributes of the fupreme GOD.

(4.) THEY afcribe to this God the power of forgiving Sins. That none can forgive fins but GOD is an acknowledged principle. But this power they give to this God of theirs. One of themselves preferred to the Pope fuch an application as this; "Thou lamb of GOD who takest away the fins of the world, have mercy on "me! Thou lamb of God who takest

"

away the "fins of the world, grant us thy peace!" This was actually faid to, and received by one of their Popes. And it has been exprefly taught of the papal power, with refpect to this very matter that whereas any ordinary bifhop may remit temporal punishment, the Pope has power to remit eternal: and that he has more power, as to this point, than Chrift hath as man. "For

cr

(fay they) Chrift as man, did only procure "pardon; but the Pope as a God, does give "it." Again,

VOL. (5.) THEY attribute unto him a power of difII. penfing with the very law of nature.

I might inftance in feyeral things that belong to each table of the Decalogue. For example, they place a power in their Pope to difpenfe with the most. folemn oaths. And one pofitively fays, He can make perjury righteousness, if it be for any valuable purpose; for the fervice of his, or the catholic caufe. They fay again; that He can dispense with any of the books of the old Teftament, because he is greater than the penmen thereof. As if they had written in their own name, or as if he could not be greater than they, in any fenfe, but in his wealth and wickedness.

(6.) THEY afcribe to the Pope, what indeed he has been wont to affume to himself, a power to alter or add to the Gofpel. Not only to take off the obligations of the law of nature, but to mould too, as he pleases, the law of grace. A certain writer exprefly fays; that in respect to this or that particular cafe, He can give another fense to the Gofpel. And another tells us in plain words, that He can not only interpret the Gofpel, but add to it. And we find that really the Popes have done fo. to hell, against the fum the Gospel, many good Chriftians, merely because they will not play the idolater, nor give religious homage to this great idol the Pope? And do they not profefs to give a title to heaven to many a vile wretch, as wicked as any can be fuppofed to be? And merely on this account, because

For do not they damn and the main tenour of