chriftian religion, we need but read the New Teftament, acknowledged by themselves to be of infallible truth, and there we fhall fee that the faith and religion preached by Christ, and fettled afterwards by his apostles, and cultivated by their facred epiftles, is fo different a thing from the chriftianity that is now profeffed and taught at Rome, that we fhould be convinced that if thofe holy men fhould be fent by God again into the world, they would take more pains to confute this Gallimaufy, than ever they did to preach down the tradition of the Phari. fees, or the fables and idolatry of the Gentiles, and would in all probability fuffer a new martyr dom in that city under the vicar of Chrift, for the fame doctrine which once animated the beathen tyrants against them. Nay we have something more to fay against thefe SACRILEGIOUS PRETENDERS to God's power; for whereas all other falfe worships have been fet up by. fome politic legiflators, for the fupport and prefervation of government, this false, this spurious religion brought in upon the ruins of christianity by the popes, hath deformed the face of government in Europe, destroyed all the good principles and morality left us by the heathens them elves, and introduced instead thereof fordid, cowardly, impolitic notions, whereby they have fubjected mankind, and even great princes

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and states to their own empire, and never fuffered any orders or maxims to take place where they bave had power, that might make a nation wife, beneft, great or wealthy. This I have fet down fo plainly in those paffages of my book which are complained of, that I fhall fay nothing at all for the proof of it in this place, but refer you thither; and come to fpeak a little more particularly of my firft affertion, That the pope and his clergy have depraved chriftian religion: Upon this fubject, I could infinitely wish, now letters begin to revive again, that fome learned pen would employ itself, and that some perfon verfed in the chronology of the church, as they call it, would deduce out of the ecclefiaftical writers, the time and manner how these abuses crept in, and by what arts and fteps this Babel that reaches at heaven, was built by these fons of the earth. But this matter, as unfuitable to the brevity of a letter, and indeed more to my fmall parts and learning, I fhall not pretend to, being one who never hitherto ftudied or writ of theology, further than it did naturally concern the politicks; therefore I fhall not deal by the New Teftament, as I have done formerly by Titus Livias, that is, make obfervations or reflections upon it, and leave you and Mr. Guilio and the rest of our fociety to make their judgment, not citing, like preachers, the chapter

or verse, because the reading the holy Scripture is little ufed, and indeed hardly permitted among us.

To begin at the top, I would have any reafonable man to tell me whence this unmeasurable power, long claim'd, and now poffeffed by the bishop of Rome is derived; First, of being Chrift's vicar, and by that, as I may fo fay, pretending to a monopoly of the holy fpirit, which was promised and given to the whole church, that is, to the elect or faints, as is plain by a claufe in St. Peter's fermon, made in the very fame time that the miraculous gifts of the spirit of God were firft given to the apoftles, who fays to the Jews and Gentiles, Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jefus Chrift, for the remiffion of fins, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghoft; for this promife is to you and your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God fhall call.

Next, to judge infallibly of divine truth, and to forgive fins as Chrift did, then to be the head of all ecclefiaftical perfons and causes in the world, to be fo far above kings and princes, as to judge, depofe and deprive them, and to have an abfolute jurifdiction over all the affairs in Christendom, in ordine ad fpiritualia; yet all this the canonifts allow him, and he makes no fcruple

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fcruple to affume, whilft it is plain, that in the whole New Teftament there is no defcription: made of fuch an officer to be at any time in the church, except it be in the prophecy of the Apocalypfe, or in one of St. Paul's epiftles, where he fays, Who it is that fhall fit in the temple of God, fhewing himself that he is God. Chrift tells us, his kingdom is not of this world, and if any will be the greatest among his difciples, that he must be fervant to the reft; which fhews, that his followers must be great in fanctity and humility, and not in worldly power.

The apostle Paul writing to the chriftians of thefe times, almoft in every epifle commands them to be obedient to the higher powers or magiftrates fet over them: And St. Peter himfelf (from whom this extravagant empire is pretended to be derived) in his firft epifle bids us fubmit ourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's fake, whether it be to the king, or, &c. And this is enjoined, although it is plain that. they who governed the world in thofe days, were both heathens, tyrants and ufurpers and in this fubmiffion, there is no exception or provifo for ecclefiaftical immunity. The practice as well as precepts of thefe holy men, fhews plainly, that they had no intention to leave fucceffors, who should deprive hereditary princes from

their

their right of reigning, for differing in religion, who without all doubt are by the appointment of the apple and by the principles of chriftianity, to be obeyed and fubmitted to in things wherein the fundamental laws of the govern. ment give them power, though they were Jews or Gentiles. If I fhould tell you by what texts in Scripture, the popes claim the powers before mentioned, it would ftir up your laughter, and prove too light for fo ferious a matter; yet, be caufe poffibly you may never have heard fo much of this fubject before, I fhall inftance in a few: they tell you therefore, that the jurisdiction they pretend over the church, and the power of pardoning fins comes from Chrift, to St. Peter, and from him to them. Thou art Peter, and up:n this rock I will build my burch; I will give the keys of the kingdom of heaven, whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth fhall be bound in heaven, and whatfoever thou shalt loofe on earth, &c. From thefe two texts, ridiculously applied, comes this great tree, which hath with its branches overfpread the whole earth, and killed all the good and wholesome plants growing upon it: The first text will never by any man of fenfe be underftcod to fay more than that the preachings, fufferings and miniftry of Peter was like to be a great foundation and pillar of the doctrines of Christ: the other text, as alfo another fpoken by our

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