that there was a Time, and a Time of many fucceffive Ages, when neither the Church of Rome, nor the Churches which were in Communion with it (or with which it was in Communion) taught, or received thofe Doctrines, as true, much lefs as primitive, ancient Doctrines of Faith, which were once delivered to the Saints. And as nonfenfical as perhaps you may call this Perfuafion, I am one of the many Myriads of nonfenfical Fellows that are fo perfuaded; and out of the Plerophory of my nonfenfical Perfuafion I made that Challenge to my Adverfary, which you undertook to Anfwer; and with what Succefs and Honour to your felf, to your Church, or the Council of Trent, you have performed what you undertook, let the Reader judge. Methinks, Sir, the Reverence you ought to have for the Greek Church, fhould have made you forbear charging all with Nonfenfe, who deny thofe Doctrines to be Univerfal: For though the Greek Church teaches, and practices fome of them, as well as you, and of late Years hath adopted the Doctrine of Tranfubftantiation by name, yet they reject others of them, as new, and falfe, and peculiar to your Church, which would be thought the Mother, and Mistress of all Churches; and have all other Bishops fwear Obedience to her Bishop, as Succeffor to St. Peter, and Vicar-General of Jefus Christ. Neilus, the learned Archbishop of Theffalonica, a Church planted by the Apoftle; Barlaam, the learned Greek Monk, and of later Years Nectarius, the learned Patriarch of Hierufalem, are fome of those nonfenfical Greeks, who believe thofe Do&trines to be peculiar to the Church of Rome, which with the National Churches in Communion with it, they do not believe to be the Catholick, or Catholick Univerfal Church. But, Sir, to acquit our felves who are of the Reformation from the charge of Nonsense, I must tell you, that though we believe all the Trent-Doctrines to be New, and

affirm them to be no part of the ancient Faith, yet we do not say, that they are, or even were all peculiar to your Church. To be fure they were not peculiar to her in the pure, and happy Apoftolick Ages, when she knew nothing of them; and fince the times of Corruption, in which the efpoufed them as Articles of Faith, feveral of them have been common to her and the Greek Church. But, Sir, whether out of defign, or no, I cannot tell, you confound the Charge of Novelty, and Peculia rity together: And thus go on; And confequently they were not Univerfal and Catholick. True, Sir, And that the Pope by managing the Council of Trent, engaged the Fathers of that Council to draw up thofe peculiar Romish Doctrines into Articles of Faith. How the Popes managed that pretended General Council, the World knows very well out of your own Writers, and in a little time is like to know better: And it was by their management most certainly, that the Fathers declared thofe new and falfe, which you call peculiar Doctrines into Points

of Faith.

And conclude, that thofe Doctrines have been no longer Catholick, than they have been trim'd into Articles by the Council of Trent. What fad ftuff is this, Sir, from a Man of Letters! for you know we do not own thofe Doctrines at all to be Catholick, neither before nor fince the Trent-Fathers dubb'd them into Articles of Faith. But what follows is more intolerable: And fay, that before the Council they were only Romish Doctrines, but that this Council having put them into Articles of a Creed, from that time they first began to be Catholick and Univerfal; fo that the Doctrines which at first were only Errors of the Church of Rome, became Errors of the Catholick [Church]. What a jumble of Sophiftry is here to no purpofe, but to confound an unskilful Woman: For who faith, Sir, that the Trent-Doarines in general, before the Council, were only Romifl

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Romish Doctrines, or that they commenced Catholick and Univerfal, after they were put into the Creed? If by Catholick, Univerfal, you mean, as you should do, Quod ubique, quod femper, quod ab omnibus creditum eft, they were never Catholick, Univerfal, neither before, nor fince they were put into the Creed: Nor doth the afferting of them to be as you will have it, at first only Errors of the Church of Rome, make them to become Errors of the Catholick, but only of the Latin Church. But vainly prefuming that the Church of Rome, and the Churches that are in Communion with it, exclufively of all others, are the Catholick, or Catholick Univerfal Church: then you run on like mad, faying, This nonfenfical Whim repugnant to all truth of Fact and Hiftory, prevails fo much. Pray, good Sir, what nonfenfical Whim do you mean? Is it the Whim of faying, That the Trent-Do&rines before the Council, were only Romish DoEtrines? this is no Whim of ours. Or is it the faying, That they began to be Catholick, Univerfal Doctrines from the time they were put into the Creed? That, Sir, is your own Whim, as likewife the other is your own Whim of a confequence, That if they were at first only Errors of the Church of Rome, they became Errors of the Catholick Church, by being put into the Creed: Asif Pius's Creed were the Creed of the Catholick Church. This Whim indeed, as you fay, is a nonfenfical Whim, and contrary to all truth of Fact and Hiftory. But fuppofing it to be ours, and not your own; you fay it prevails fo much, that Thousands who even doubt of their Salvation by living in Schifm from the Catholick Univerfal Church, yet foolishly think themselves of fo tender Confciences, that they cannot fafely be united to the Catholick Church of their Time, because the Errors which were once peculiar to the Church of Rome, by the Pope's management of the Council of Trent became Catholick. By this Noun of Multitude [Thonfands,] you mean

the

the People of the Church of England; whom in the First place, you mifreprefent, as not thinking themselves fafe in the Communion of our Church, though they are as fully fatisfied with the fafe Condition of their Souls in it, as if they had liv'd in any of the Primitive Churches, when the Univerfal Church compofed of all Churches, had but one Faith, and one Communion; and every Church was as Catholick and Apostolick, as the Roman ; and other Churches were no more in Communion with her, or upon any other score, than fhe was with all and every one of them. Secondly, You reprefent them as an unthinking fort of People, who being diffatisfied with their own Church, yet dare not unite themselves to the Catholick Church of their time, that is, to your Church; because the Errors of it, by the Pope's management of the Council of Trent are become Catholick. But do you think, Sir, they are fuch Ophes as not to understand that Catholick Errors is a contradiction in Terms. They know, and believe, that no Council can make Errors become Catholick Doctrines, especially Do&trines of Faith, and that no Church can be the Catholick Church of their, or any other time, which impofes and profeffes known Errors for Doctrines of Faith; and therefore they cannot fafely unite themselves to your uncatholick Church. Or by Thousands, it may be you mean the great number of Diffenters from the Church of England, who think themfelves not fafe in the Communion of it, and yet have fuch a foolish tenderness of Confcience as will not let them turn Papifts, or if you please Roman Catholicks: And this is matter of Grief and Offence to you, that when you unfettle our People, and make them doubt of their Salvation in the Church of England, yet you cannot fo easily bring them over to the Church of Rome. You by your Sophiftry brought the Lady to doubt, if the Church of England was fuch a Church in which

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Salvation

Salvation might be obtained, and in this uncertainty she hath been ever fince I correfponded with her; when her foolish tenderness of Confcience as yet had not permitted her to embrace your Communion. But it may be you have fince cured her of that weakness, and if she is come over to you, the hath made a fad exchange; for which fhe must be anfwerable to God for profeffing fo many great Errors, and practifing fo many great Corruptions, from which the Church of England, the Object of your Envy and Indignation, hath reformed, as all others ought to do.

What follows in your next Paragraph, beginning with what I now fay is all Stuff and Tautology, not worth tranfcribing; and proceeds upon that most nauseous, precarious, and prefumptuous fuppofition, contrary to common Senfe, which is in every Period of your Paper; that your Church is the Catholick Church. The Query which you there put about the Protestant Divines, and which you fay puzzles wifer Men than your felf, will eafily be answered by any Person of common Understanding, that can but fee how you beg the great Question between you and us, as all your Writers fhamefully do; and fuppofe what you fhould, but can never prove, as I fhall hereafter fhew, viz. that the Church of Rome is the Catholick Church.

Thefe Divines, fay you, forced as it were by the Exorcifm of Truth, extol the Authority of the Catholick Church, in defining against Hereticks in the firft as General Councils; and tell you, that if they had liv'd in thefe Days they must have been either in Communion with that Catholick Church, or have been damnable Schifmaticks. That, fay they, was a Catholick Church indeed, free from Romifh Errors: Nor were the Trent-Articles, or the Creed of Pius IV. known to that Catholick Church. Sir, not to obferve in what courfe Language you make our Divines fpeak, I

must