hence is follows plainly, that your first pretended Bishops and their inferiour Clergy had no Miffion from any Authority originally derived from the Apostles, and that, by Confequence they enter'd not by the Door, into the Sheepfold, but as Thieves and Robbers. Joh. 10.

Y. I.

You have not therefore fo much as any one of thofe Marks of the true Church, or Motives of Cre dibility, (as Divines call them) which not only drew St Austin from Herefy, but fix'd him immoveably in the Catholick Church. Whereas I defy you to shew that any one of thefe Marks is wanting to ours.

We have therefore no Reafon to debarr our People from Examining the Grounds of their Religion. For it will stand the Teft of the strictest Examina tion; and we only wish Proteftants would examine impartially the Grounds both of their own Religion, and ours. For if the Confiderations of Intereft, and Prejudices of Education were laid aside, they would nd Antiquity, Catholicity, Miracles, Succeffion, and Miffion derived from the Apoftles on our Side, and not one of thefe Marks on theirs. Nay they would find the Reformation, whether confider'd as to the Motive of it's Beginning (which was to fatisfy the Luxury of a wicked, and arbitrary Prince) or the Means used for it's Progreß, viz. Violence, Sacrilege, and Plunder; They would find it, I fay, branded with fuch Marks of Infamy confeffed by their own Writers, as would convince them, that the Holy Ghoft had no Part in fuch Counfels. I will only add, that there is not a Proteftant in the World, but if be traces the Reformation of the Church, whereof he is a Member, to it's Source, he will find, that either Avarice, Ambition, Revenge, or fome other criminal Paffion gave a Beginning to it.

Tis therefore plain, we are not afraid to have the

213 Grounds of our Religion look'd into either by Catho licks or Proteftants. Now let us confider whether all Examination implies a Doubt. For my Part, I have often examined my Religion; yet I don't remember I ever doubted of it in my whole Life. But give me 'leave to ask you, Sr, whether you doubt of the Scriptures?

G. Not at all, My Lord.

L. Yet you examine and fearch the Scriptures. And, by Confequence all Examination do's not imply a Doubt. I ask again, whether the Scriptures be not infallible in what they teach?

G. I cannot deny it.

L. As therefore infallible Scriptures do not hinder us from Examining our Education, and how we came by our Religion, fo neither do's an infallible Church barr any fuch Examination. St Paul exhorted the Theffalonians to prove all Things. 1. Thef. 5. v. 21. But I hope he did not exhort them to doubt of all Things: that is, of all the Mysteries of Chriftian Religion.

G. My Lord, when we difcourfed of private Judgment (§. 33.) you required nothing less than an entire Submiffion to the Church. Now I cannot comprehend how Submitting and Examining can be reconciled together. This looks fomething like a Contradiction.

L. It will do fo, if you remember but one Part of what I faid, and forget the other. For I diftinguish'd then between the Motives of Credibility, which lead us to the true Church of Christ, and the Mysteries of Faith, which that Church declares to be reveal'd Truths. The Motives of Credibility, or Marks of the true Church of Chrift are the proper Subject of our Examination. Nay we cannot examine them too feriously. For they are proportion'd to our Under

ftanding, and 'tis by this Examination we prove all Things, becaufe all depends upon it. But when by this Examination we have once found the true Church of Chrift, we are then bound to fubmit to her in every Thing And nothing is more reasonable than this Submiffion. Becaufe nothing is more Confonant to Reason than to fubmit in Things, we do not understand, to that Authority, which God himself has eftablish'd.

'Tis thus a wife Man acts in all temporal Concerns. If he has a Journey to go, and wants a Guide, he feeks out the beft that is to be found, and then is wholly guided by him. If he be fick, he enquires after the ableft Phyfician. But when he has made his Choice, he fuffers himself to be govern'd by his Prefcriptions. If he be engaged in a Law-fuit his whole Enquiry is to find out the beft Lawyer to manage it. But when he has found him, he is directed by him in every Thing,

And 'tis thus we must proceed in the great Concern of our eternal Salvation. God has reveal'd many Truths, and we are bound to believe them. But thefe Truths being dark Mysteries, and above our Comprehenfion, how muft we know that God has reveal'd them? We must hear the Church of Chrift, which being the Pillar and Ground of Truth, 1. Tim. 3. V. 15. all reveal'd Truths are depofited with her. But how muft we know the Church of Chrift from other Heretical Communions, which pretend to be that Church? We must know her by the Marks, I have already mention'd; which are so strong and clear, that they render it morally evident, that the Church, they belong to, is that, with which God has depofited all Truth according to the Promises of Chrift. Now whoever has a moral Evidence that God has depofited all Truth with this Church, lies under an

215 indifpenfible Obligation to believe whatever she declares to be a reveal'd Truth. Because, as a moral Evidence that God has commanded any Thing, obliges us to do it, fo a moral Evidence, that God has regeal'd any Thing, obliges us to believe it. Nay a Man would act moft unreasonably, if he did otherwife. Because Reafon tells a Man, that he ought to believe every Thing, of the Truth whereof he has a moral Evidence or Certainty; which of it's own Nature excludes all rational Doubt or Fear of Falfehood. And thus it is, that Faith is always rational, tho the Mysteries we believe be above our Reason and therefore cannot be scanned or fearch't into by human Reason. Whence it alfo follows, that we always ftand in Need of a living Judge, or Visible Guide to direct us in the Way to Salvation; and Chrift himself was this living Judge, whilft he was up

on earth.

G.

T

§. 37.

The Neceffity of a living Judge.

His is gratis dictum, and Begging the Quef- « tion of the Jews, as I have already faid: « who upon the Authority of their Church deny Chrift a to be the Meffias. I will not repeat; only ask these « few Questions -----❝

L. Hold, Sr, you fay you will not repeat; and yet you do repeat. And 'tis now the third Time you tell me that I beg the Queftion of the Jews in Saying that Chrift was the Meffias, and by Confe quence the living Judge. But under Favour, Sr, I have fully proved it. So let us hear your Quef

tions.

G. 1 ask then firft, who was the living Judge « before the Flood? For you fay there must be al

ways one, and fo do's the Bishop of Meaux. 2. Was Abraham who was known only to a few "Neighbours, and wrought no Miracles to convince others, was he, I fay, given as fuch a Guide or Judge to the whole Earth? And Christ was not so great a Traveller as Abraham, pag. 60.

L. It feems then it is your Opinion, that as A. braham was not fufficiently known to be the living Judge to the whole Earth, fo Chrift, who was not fo great a Traveller as Abraham, was still lefs qualified for it. Really, Sr, I think you are too free with the facred Perfon of Christ, and your Observation of his not being fo great a Traveller as Abraham is both frivolous and difrefpectful. Chrift came to preach the Gospel to the Jews alone, and I prefume he made himself fufficiently known to the Jewish Church to be their Judge of Faith. The Converfion of the Gentiles was referved for the Apostles, who founded that Church, which was to continue to the End of the World, and be govern'd (according to God's own Appointment) by their Succeffors the Bishops united like them under one Head: Now these com

pofe that Body, which to the World's End is to be that living fudge of Faith, concerning which the Difpute precifely is between Proteftants and us. So that your Questions concerning the living Judge before the Flood, and in Abraham's Time are wholly out of the Way. This however we are sure of, viz. that God always had a true Church upon Earth, that is, a Church visibly profeffing the true Faith: which was handed down throughout all Generations from Adam and his Children to Noah: from Noah to A braham, and from Abraham to Mofes ; who was the Founder of the Jewish Church, which in her Priests and Prophets was the living Judge of Faith, and Interpreter of the Law till the Coming of Chrift. Now