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not be affigned any other Church different from her; which from Age to Age, fince Chrift's time, hath continued vifible; though in ftrict speaking, none of them have continued from Chrift's time: for excepting the Church of Jerufalem, none of them were planted till a confiderable time after Christ's Afcenfion, and the Church of Rome as late as most of them: And whatever fhe was in the beginning, it is apparent from what hath been faid, that he is now a Corrupt, Heretical, and Schifmatical Church, which I take to be no encouragement for any Man, who hath any value for his Soul, to go into her Communion, much lefs to forfake a true Orthodox Communion for it.

FINIS

APPENDIX.

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SIR,

July 28. 1709. Have been under a great Indifpofition of Body of late, occafion'd chiefly by a great Affliction that has befall'n me, as you may guefs by the enclos'd, and believe the Author of that Paper may think it fent as a Judgment upon me, who knowing did not embrace the Love of the Truth in their Way and Terms, which has occafion'd this fresh Attack upon me, which I am so just to my self and you as to communicate to you, defiring your Advice by the firft Poft what Answer to return to it; I am far from a Defire of changing, if I may be fure of being fafe in the way I am, otherways I will run all Hazards of Body and Eftate rather than hazard the welfare of my Soul. Sir, the former Concern you have exprefs'd for me, makes me believe you will not be wanting in affifting me at this time, who am,

MADAM,

You

Your affured Friend.

JOUR Ladyfhip does me great Juftice in the Opinion you have of my real Concern for you, and therefore I cann't doubt but you are fenfible of the Part I take in your Affliction, and have only to wish that my Grief could be a Diminution of your Ladyfhip's; but tho' my Grief added to yours makes not yours the lefs, yet your Prayer. added to mine may do it, and that by frequent Acts of Refignation to the Holy Will of God, That his

Will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven, Amen, Amen, Amen. And in particular the Apostle tells us, 1 Theff. 4. 3. Our Sanctification is the Will of God, for which we must pray that it be done, done by the Spirit of God in us, and we doing in and with the Divine Spirit; that is to fay, God offers to us for our Sanctification Faith, Hope, and Charity, and we to be fanctify'd must by his Grace exercife Faith in him, muft hope in him, and love him above all Things. But how shall we believe unless we hear? How fhall we hear without a Preacher? How fhall they preach, unless they be fent? Rom. 10. But fent by whom on Earth as the Vicar of Jefus Chrift in all Ages? Evidently by that individual Authority in St. Peter, which, without any Limitation of Time, was commanded to feed the Lambs and Sheep of Chrift, John 21.

Faith is the firft Step to Sanctification, captivating our Understanding to the Obedience of Christ fo that without Faith neither Hope nor Charity can be in Man to any Effect of Sanctification, because without Faith it is impoffible to pleafe God, Heb. 11. 6. But you will fay you believe, you have a Preacher, and he is fent, but your Miftake is, that because you know fome Divine Truths by Human Education you call that Knowledge, Faith, and because you hear Men talk of fome Divine Truth you call that Preaching, and they doing this by Act of Parliament you call this fent; whereas by the Words of our blessed Saviour the feeding of all Lambs and all Sheep to the End of the World, without any Limitation to Perfon, Time, or Place, was to come from the Authority given to and from the Office enjoyn'd St. Peter, and therefore his Authority and Office is the Rock on which Chrift has built his Church, against which the Gates of Hell, the Powers of Hell, Errors and Corruptions, fhall not prevail, Matt. Cap. 16. Wherefore tho' a Man independently of his Authority may come, yet he can't be fent, tho' he

may

may Talk, he cannot Preach; for how fhall they preach unless they be fent? So that independently of Peter's Authority Faith, Preaching and Sending is all Human, and therefore of no effect to Sanctification. Pray please to confider that Proteftants themselves muft allow, That before Luther it was only that Body of Chriftians in Communion with, and Obedience to the Bishop of Rome, which was the visible Holy Catholick Church; it ever was this great Body that call'd General Councils and condemn'd Herefies; those that separated from this Body were by the Fathers in all Ages accounted Schifmaticks; this Body of Chriftians thus united with the Bishop of Rome was never accus'd of Errors by any of the Fathers; it never fram'd it felf by a Change to Day from what it was Tefterday, whereas all other petty Bodies of Chriftians came out of the other by a Change. Wherefore pray confider well the Weight of St. Peter's Authority as to believing, preaching, and being fent, without which there's no Divine Faith, and confequently no Divine Hope nor Charity, but what Is is Humane, and be the Humane never fo like to the Divine in outward appearance, yet it is not that, and therefore avails not to our Sanctification, which is the Will of God. Time was you ran well, who binder'd you not to obey the Truth, Gal. 5. 7. I extreamly compaffionate your Lofs of fo much precious Time, and I befeech God, thro' the Merits of Jesus Christ, our only proper Mediator, to inspire you to redeem the Time, because the Days are evil. Amen JESUS.

I

August 13. 1709.

MADAM, Have receiv'd your Ladyfhips's Letter of July 28. 1709. by which I perceive you are still unfettled. and keep Correfpondence with the Perfon who would pervert you. You intimate to me as if you believ'd he thought the Affliction you mention to have been fent as a Divine Judgment upon you for

knowing,

knowing, and yet not embracing the Love of the Truth in their Way, but, Madam, that which you call Truth in their Way is all Error, new Error, grofs Error, and most of it damnable Error, in Doctrine, Worship, and Government, fuch as Chrift and his Apostles never taught, nor the Ancient Fathers ever knew; this, Madam, I affert to you again upon the best of my Knowledge after studying the ancient Church-Writers, and heartily believing that I mould be answerable to God for deceiving you, if I asserted a Falsity, or went about to make you believe what to the best of my Understanding I did not believe my felf; I have told your Ladyship in my former Letters, that if this Gentleman can prove the Trent-Doctrines relating to Worship, the Supremacy of the Pope, and the Authority of the Church of Rome, as Mother and Miftrefs of all Churches, to have been the conftant and univerfal Tradition of the Church from the Apostles, and taught as neceffary to Salvation, that I would go with you unto the Church of Rome; but, Madam, be affur'd, that whatever he pretends or may boaft, neither he nor all the Doctors of that Church can make fuch Proof, "and therefore you have no reafon to think your late Affliction was fent upon you as a Judgment for not embracing Truth in their Way, which is nothing but a Mafs of Errors, for which, as I told you, you must be answerable to God from the Moment you are reconcil'd to that Church, which of all others is the most corrupt upon the Face of the Earth. If he, Madam, would make you believe that God hath fent that Affliction upon you for not embraciug the Trent-Doctrines, in which he hath inftructed you, tell him he ought firft to have prov'd that thofe Doctrines were of God; he made the beft Effort he could to prove this in the Paper,which you brought me from him, entituled, That the Doctrines declar'd by the Council of Trent to be de fide are ancient, &c. in Anfwer to fome Paffages in Dr. Geo. Hickes's Book

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