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and the Regions thereabouts) which he hath purchafed with his Blood. Unto the Church of God, which is at Corinth. Caufe this Epiftle to be read in the Church of the Laodiceans. Unto the Church of the Theffalonians. So to Timothy at Ephefus, Let not the Church be charged. If any Man is fick among you, let him call for the Elders of the Church. Unto the Angel of the Church of Ephefus. A Servant of the Church, who is at Cenchrea. Greet the Church, that is in their Houfe. Aquila and Prifcilla Salute you with the Church, that is in their Houfe. Thus, Sir, you fee the Church and the Church of God is ufed both explicitly and implicitly, to fignify the particular Churches of Nations, Provinces, and Countries adjacent; nay, of Towns, Villages, and Families, which are the leaft parts of the Univerfal Church. It is implicitly used to fignify the Church of Ancyra, by Apollinarius Bifhop of Hierapolis, in Eufebius's Hiftory, Lib. V. cap. XVI. Os cuxλnoiav, &c. So that the Church (understanding the Church of Ancyra) exceedingly rejoyced, and was mightily comforted in the Faith. [So the true Church of Rome under Cornelius, as diftinguished from the fchifmatical Church there under Novatianus, is implicitly called the Church of Chrift by St. Cyprian in his Epiftle to Pope Lucius upon his return from Banishment: Unde contra Ecclefiam Chrifti, & Epifcopum Cornelium beatum martyrem, vof que omnes, fæcularis poteftas fubitò proruperit, ut ad confundendos Hæreticos, & retundendos oftenderet Dominus, qua effet Ecclefia, quis Epifcopus ejus unus divinâ ordinatione electus; whence the fecular Power broke out in a fudden Perfecution against the Church of Chrift, and its BiShop and blessed Martyr Cornelius, and against

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you all, that our Lord might fhew to the confufion and mortification of the Hereticks, which was his Church, and who was his own Bishop elected by the Appointed of God. 1 could bring you more Examples out of St. Cyprian, in which the Church, the Church of Chrift, the Catholick Church, are taken implicitly to fignify particular Churches; but I referve them for another Place.] And as for the explicit ufe of them for particular Churches, nothing is more common, as in St. Clement's Epiftle, who was Bishop of Rome, to the Church of Corinth : Ἡ ἐκκλησία ? Θεῖ ἡ n παραινέσα Ρώμω τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ * Θες παροικέση Kootov The Church of God which is at Rome, to the Church of God which is at Corinth. So the Church of Smyrna, in their Epiftle concerning the Martyrdom of St. Polycarp their Bishop, to the Church of Philomelium : Ἡ ἐκκλησία * Θεό i wagginsσa Zμúgvav, &c. The Church of God which is at Smyrna, to that at Philomelium, and to all the Districts or People of the Catholick Church, Grace, Peace, and the Love of God the Father, and of our Lord Jefus Chrift, be multiplied. So t in St. Athanafius's Works, Tom. 1. p. 779Κωνσαντίνο μέγις @ σέβας της λαῷ τῷ κατ' ̓Αλεξάδρειαν καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας. Confantine the great Emperor, to the People of the Catholick Caurch of Alexandria. So in the fame Epiftle, p. 794Καλα το καθολικῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, again the Catholick Church in Egypt. I hope, Sir, you'll allow the Church of God and the Catholick Church to fignify the Church of Chrift; and then I hope thefe Examples, without here producing others which are mentioned in their proper place, make it evident that the Church of Chrift, with

* Eufeb. Eccl. Hift. Lib. IV. Cap. XV.
Edit. Paris. MDCXXVII.

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out any Cavil or Trifling, may be taken either abfolutely or in oppofition, [either explicitly or implicitly] for a part of the Univerfal Church, comprehending one, or more Churches, as well as for the whole or Univerfal Church, of which he only is the Head.

II. I HAVE made ufe of this old and true Diftinction, [which is juftified by the Learned + Patriarch fo often cited by me,] on purpose to force you to discover the Fallacy, which you couched in your Suppofition; for I knew very well, that by the Church of Chrift you meant your own Church; and that it would put a difficulty upon you how to exprefs your meaning, because if you fhould fay in plain Words you meant the Roman Catholick Church, then you knew I would reply, that the Roman Catholick Church, fo called, was not the whole Univerfal Church to which the Promise of Indefectibility was made, but a part of it, which might perifh, as many other National, Provincial, and Diocefan Churches had done, without any failure of the Church of God. But if you fhould fay, you meant the holy Catholick Church, or the holy Catholick and Apoftolick Church, then you knew I fhould tell you, that

+ Ne&tarius in his Anfwer to DOM. PETER against the Pope's Supremacy, p. 214. Et hac propriè dicitur Catholica, fimpliciter Ecclefia Dei. Dicitur & Ecclefia Synecdochicé, quod in parte ad totam refertur Ecclefiam, qualia funt plurima à te prolata, ficut fatetur Apoftolus ad Corinthios Scribens, quia perfecutus fum Ecclefiam Dei, Maximè enim Hierofolymis, & Damafco etiam tantùm infurrexerat contra illas duas Ecclefias, fed intentione contra omnem Catholicam. Taleeft quod in 1 ad Tim. cap. 3. oftenditur. Scribo ad te, O Timothee, ut cognofcas quomodo oportet converfari in Ecclefiâ Dei, quæ eft Ecclefia Dei viventis, columna & firmamentum veritatis. Tunc autem converfabatur Timotheus in Ecclefiâ Ephefi, fed ipfius fan&a converfatio, omnem adificabat Ecclefiam.

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the Roman Church, when in its pureft ftate, was but a Part or Member of the one holy Catholick and Apoftolick Church; and that now with all the Churches which are in Communion with it, is but one great and moft corrupt Part of the Church of God, as the Church is fometimes taken (latiffimè) in the moft large fenfe of all, for all the Churches, found or unfound, orthodox or heretical, pure or corrupt, profeffing the Chriftian Religion throughout the whole World. This you were aware of; and therefore not liking my Distinction, to either Part of which you could not, you durft not anfwer plainly and fairly, you grew very angry at it, and gave it the hard Names above-mentioned, though as I have fhewed, it is as old as the Chriftian Religion. But let us go to your Words: I might pay him in his own Coin, and ask him what be means by Chriftianity, whether thofe Faithful only that are baptized, as we mean it; or thofe that believe in Chrift, whether baptized or no. If you had pleased, Sir, you might have asked me, whether I meant the Church Militant or Triumphant, and it had been as much to the purpose. For if by Believers not baptized, you mean the truly faithful Catechumens, who are Candidates of Baptifm, they fhall bé Parts or not Parts, Members or not Members of the Univerfal Church of God, by which I explained my fenfe of Chriftianity, as you will. But if by Believers not baptized, you mean those pretended Believers who reject Baptifm, you know they are no part of the Univerfal Church of Chrift or truly Catholick Chriftianity, in my most proper fenfe of the Word. But, fay you, not intending to wait for bis Anfwer, I must tell him that both bis Senfes are abfolutely falfe. [Very ftrange, Sir, that both the general and fpecial or particular

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Senfe of the Church of Chrift must be falfe. But I muft confefs I never knew it before. But if indeed they are both falfe, I must entreat you to fhew me the true Sense of these Words; or, if you can, any truer Senfe of them, than when they are used to fignifie either the univerfal or any particular Church of Chrift. For if they are falfely used or abufed, when they are ufed in either of thofe Senfes, I must acknowledge I have long abused and mifapplied them, not only in my Converfation with Men, but in my Prayers to God. Wherefore, Sir, it will be great Charity in you to rectify this unfortunate Mistake, in which I have fo long continued. For if it fhould be true, as you affirm, that both these Senfes of thofe Words are false; that is, that the Church of Chrift is not truly and properly ufed, when it is ufed to fignify the Univerfal Church or any part of it; then I cannot conceive, that either the Church univerfal or any part of it is the Church of Chrift. Sir, you are one of the most fingular Adverfaries in your way of writing, that I have ever yet had to deal with, both as to your Affertions and the pretended Proofs of them, as your following Words fhew:] And, Firft, That the Church of Chrift is not taken for Chriflianity, (you fhould have added my, other Words, viz. or the whole Univerfal Church difperfed over the Earth,) I prove out of their own Definition of the Church in the 19th Article of the 39, which fays thus, The Visible Church is a Congregation of faithful Men, in which the pure Word of God is preached, and the Sacraments be truly adminiftred. That the Church of Chrift, or Church of God, or the Catholick Church (all which fignify the fame thing) is taken for all Chriftianity, viz. for all pure Catholick or Orthodox Chriftianity, I have

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