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ing like the red dragon to his followers, as the church of Rome has done. (7)

An abftract of Dr. Chandler's obfervations on >Bellarmine's fixth note of the church.

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(7) Reader, it is well worth your while to turn to the first volume of that admirable work, the Salter's-ball Sermons against Popery, and there see how the Cardinal's notes of his church are confidered by that learned and excellent man, Dr. Samuel Chandler. His confideration of the 6th note more immediately concerns me here, and therefore I give you an abftract of it.

The writings of the apoftles are allowed even by our adversaries to be the oldeft records of chriftianity, and therefore to this ancient and infallible rule we ought to appeal, to determine the controversy between us and the papifts, that is, to fee how far this antiquity favours their doctrine and practices, or is in agreement with ours.

1. The proteftants renounce the Pope, and acknowledge one law-giver, the Lord Jefus Chrift, for thefe reafons, That the Pope is not mentioned in the New Teftament; that Chrift fays, one is your mafier, even Chrift; and St. Paul fays, there is but one Lord, and one Faith: the whole family in heaven and earth is named of the Lord Jefus Chrift.

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2. Proteftants do not pay any worship at all to faints and angels, but, as St. Paul directs, confider Jefus Chrift as their fole mediator and advocate; for there is but one God, and one mediator between God and man, the man Jefus Chrift. They fay, fuch veneration and prayer to faints and angels is fuperftition and will worship, and only worship God with all their hearts and fouls, with the moft raised affections, and the highest degrees of love and fear, faith and confidence; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the

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The Seventh note of Bellarmine's holy Roman catholic church, is the Union of the members among themselves, and with the bead:

Lord God, and him only shalt thou ferve: And the angel in the Revelation faid to John, who fell down at his feet to worship him, See thou do it not, for I am thy fellow-fervant.

3. We affirm, that in the facrament of the Lord's Supper, after confecration, there is nothing exiftent but bread and wine; for St. Paul fays, Whosoever fhall eat this bread and drink this cup, and as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup.

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4. We affirm the eucharilt is only a memorial of Christ's death; for Chrift fays, do this in remembrance of me; and St. Paul affures the Corinthians from Chrift himself, (1 Cor. xi. 24.) that they were to receive the elements with this view only and in his epiftle to the Hebrews he tells us, that by one offering Chrift bath for ever perfected those who are fanctified; and that because there is remiffion of fins under the new covenant, there is no more offering for fin; which proves, the eucharist is not a propitiatory facrifice.

5. We renounce the doctrine of purgatory, and af firm, that the future ftate is no ftate of probation; for at death, the dust shall return to the earth as it was, and the Spirit fhall return to God who gave it. And St. Paul declares, "that at the judgment-feat of Christ every one shall receive the things done in the body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

6. Proteftants affirm, that the worthip of God ought to be performed in a language which all men understand; and that they have a right to fearch the fcriptures: For, if I speak with tongues (fays the apofile) in fuch a language as thofe I fpeak to cannot understand, what shall I profit you? Let all things be done to edi

VOL. III.

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bead: And fure it is, that no where else but in Rome papal, has there been fuch an union of head and members for that length of time, as to apply the one mind of the ten kings for their agreement together, to give their power, and strength, and their whole kingdoms to the beaft.

The eighth note produced by Cardinal Bellarmine, is Sanctity; and Watson faw it fairly proved by the proteftant writers, that no church but Rome did ever appear fo long

fying. And Chrift bids us fearch the fcriptures: And how could the word of Chrift dwell richly in us in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in pfalms, hymns, and fpiritual fongs, if we had not the word of Chrift, and the fcriptures of truth to read and confult for ourselves.

These are the protestant doctrines, and we fee they were taught by Christ and his apoftles. We have the fanction of the most venerable antiquity on our fide, and this note of the true church of Chrift belongeth to us in the highest perfection.

When the papifts then fcornfully fay, Where was your church before Luther and Calvin? The answer is obvious: the doctrine of our church was in the writ ings of the infpired apostles, where the church of Rome is never to be found; the fame that was taught by Christ himself, whom they have forfaken, and whofe faith they have corrupted. As to our predeceffors and profeffors, they were the perfecuted difciples of the crucified Jefus, thofe martyrs and confeffors, whofe blood

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long together with fuch a medley of fanctity, in fome doctrines, and outward appearances of a strict holiness of life, joined with the moft abominable doctrines, and practices, to qualify it for the horns of the lamb, and the fpeech of the dragon for the idolatrous and cruel commands of the image; or, for having the form of godliness in the latter times, and yet denying the power thereof.

In fhort, Dorick not only found, on a careful inquiry, that the fyftem of the church of Rome was error and turpitude, abomination, gain, and cruelty,—and her great de

the church of Rome hath cruelly fpilt. This is the genuine antiquity the proteftants have to boast of. Their doctrines are the word of Chrift, and their fathers were put to death by papifts for the teftimony of Jefus.

But the papifts on the contrary, exclufive of the example of the devil, who was a murderer from the beginning, and Antiochus Epiphanes, Nero, Domitian, and other monsters of mankind, who went before them in the meafures of perfecution, cruelty, and blood; and excepting the idolatrous nations of the earth, and the false prophets and deceivers among the Jews, by whofe authority and example they may vindicate their own idolatries, they have no genuine antiquity to plead. Many of their doctrines were unknown to, or abhorred by the primitive church, and are mere novelties and innovations, that were originally introduced by fuperftition, and then maintained by cruelty and blood." G 2

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fign the very reverse of the gofpel revelation, which came down from heaven to prepare men, by the practice of univerfal holinefs and virtue, for eternal life; but likewife, that even her Cardinal's notes prove, this church cannot be, in any sense, the true church of Chrift; and Bellarmine was perfectly infatuated to make choice of fuch things for the marks of his church, as make it the very picture of Babylon the Great. He refolved then to come out of Rome. He determined to forfake a church, which had altered the inftitutions of Christ, and is therefore guilty of herefy as well as fchifm.

This change in religion gave Dorick the highest fatisfaction, (as he told me) and it was doubled by his being able to convert his beloved Adelaide from popery to the church of Chrift. But this joy had foon after fome mitigation, by lofing one of the moft agreeable women in the world. Death robbed him of his heart's fond idol, and by that ftroke he was fo wounded, that he could not heal himself for a long time. He became the real mourner. He kept the reafons of his anguish continually before him, and was more intent upon spending his fpirits than his for rows. He grew fond of folitude and filence, that he might in

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