Chap. 3. A SEPARATION from what? If you anfwer in the Affirmative to your Adversary's Dilemma; then the Church of Rome with all the Churches in Communion with that See was, by your own Confeffion, immediately before the Reformation, not only a TRUE CHURCH, but THE SOLE AND ONLY TRUE CHURCH OF CHRIST UPON EARTH. Now I cannot but think, these Propofitions are true: First, that hitherto a SEPARATION from the Sole and only true Church of Christ upon Earth was never NECESSARY. Secondly, that what Perfon, or Church foever, is feparated, WITHOUT NECESSITY, from the Sole and only true Church of Christ upon Earth, that Perfon or Church is, by this Separation from the Church of Chrift, guilty of SCHISM, and is CUT OFF from the whole Church of Chrift, Thirdly, that, if this be the Cafe of the Church of England; it is ridiculous to think, that She is excus'd from SCHISM. That is, She is guilty of Schifm, if She be Separated from THE SOLE AND ONLY TRUE CHURCH OF CHRIST UPON. EARTH. And where is the Harm of this, unless it be a Fault to have Eyes, and to fee the Sun in the Meridian? But will not this Language provoke the Church of England? No. For She knows, what Words mean. She hates the Impertinence of her furious Zealots, and does not defire to be defended by a Fool. However it is, Mr. Trapp mistakes the plain and obvious Senfe of his Adverfary. He fuppofes a CONDITIONAL Propofition to be ABSOLUTE and in a pious Tranfport of Religion or or Fury, he thus gives a Loofe to his Indigna- Chap. 3. tion, p. 453: How, is the Church of England Queft.5. CUT OFF? She is pure, and they continue corrupt. But where is the CUTTING OFF all this while? Why, 'tis palpable, ridiculous, ftrutting, over-bearing, impudent Nonfenfe contriv'd to delude ignorant Souls, and impofe the groffest Corruptions upon them. But his holy Transport is not yet over. For, in the following page, he fays of his Antagonift: His next Sentence is the best in his Book, For now I have done. And fo have I, for that Reafon And I am heartily glad of it. For never before did I labour in fuch a tiresome Maze of Fallacies, Falfhoods, Swaggering, Repetitions, and Impertinences. Inftead of these warm Epithets had Mr. Trapp been content to have lafh'd his Adversary, for Speaking too freely, too roundly, and with too little Ceremony and Regard of the prevailing Religion in England, and its Authors and Abettors; he might with a better Grace have presented his Treatife to the King, and I should never have quarrell'd with him on that Account. begging the Reader's Pardon for this tedious Digreffion I reaffume the Thread of my Difcourfe. But V. It may be objected, that the words of God, Ifai. lix. v. 21, are the words of a Covenant, not of a Promife. But this is a Miftake. For, being the whole Covenant of Orthodoxy betwixt God and his Church, they are like the Covenant of Grace; of which it is faid, (23) I will make a new Covenant with the (23) Jerem. xxxi. v. 31, 33. Chap. 3. the Houfe of Ifrael -This is the Covenant, Queft.5. that I will make with the Houfe of Ifrael, I will place my Law in their Bowels, and write it in their Hearts, and will be their God, and they fhall be my People: Which is ftrictly a Promife, of Sanctifying Grace; and improperly a Covenant; in as much as it implies what God and his faithful Servants will do: that he will give them Grace, and that they fhall cooperate with it. And if the words of God, If. lix. v. 21, be (as indeed they are) the whole Covenant of Orthodoxy, both on God's and on the Church's fide; they are ftrictly a Promife and a Covenant in an elegant, but metaphorical Sense, in as much as they fignify, that God will give his Spirit, and his Words to his Church; and that She will always retain his Spirit to know what he has reveal'd, and his Words in ber Mouth to teach it her Children for ever. And as this is the true Senfe of Ifaias; fo it is confirm'd both by parallel Texts of Scripture, by the Creed, and by the Tradition of all Ages. VI. It may alfo be objected, that the Catholick Church has faln into wicked Errors; that She is guilty of Schifm, by making unjuft Terms of Communion; and that She alone is the great Apoftate from the Faith, once deliverd to the Saints, S. Jude v. 3. For She has lain under thefe Accufations above fixteen hundred Years. There were never any Schif maticks, in fixteen or seventeen Centuries, who have not accus'd her of being guilty of their SCHISM. There There were never any Hereticks, in fixteen Chap. 3. or seventeen Centuries, who have not accus'd Quest.5. her of GROSS and WICKED ERRORS. There were never any wicked Diffenters, any Apoftates from the Doctrine of the Apoftles, in fo many Centuries, who have not charg'd her with CORRUPTIONS and APOSTACY from the primitive Faith. The Reason of this is, becaufe no Diffenters, no Apostates, no Hereticks, or Schifmaticks, ever were, ever will be, or ever can be lo HONEST, as to grant themselves to be, what they are. And it is plain beyond Contradiction, that one of the two (they or their Mother-Church) is guilty of WICKED ERRORS, of APOSTACY, and of SCHISM. But after all the heavy and unjust Loads of Infamy, by which her diffenting and rebellious Children have charg'd their own Guilt upon her: She has this Comfort, that the Scripture, the Creed, and the Tradition of all Ages attest her ORTHODOXY. For if She were really guilty of wicked Errors; how is She the HOLY Catholick Church? How is She the Communion of Saints, and not rather the Church of the Malignants, if She exclude either Persons or Nations from her Communion, for no other Reafon, but because they are good Christians, and contend earnestly for the Faith once deliver'd to the Saints ? VII. I cannot leave this Subject without letting the Reader fee, how far Bishop Pearfon, in his Expofition of the Creed, comes up towards what has been faid, concerning her Orthodoxy. As the Holy Ghoft, fays he p. 348, did lead the Apostles into ALL TRUTH, fo did the Apoftles Chap. 3. Apoftles leave ALL TRUTH unto the Church; Queft.5. which, TEACHING ALL THE SAME, may be call'd Catholick, from the UNIVERSALITY of neceffary and faving Truths retain'd in it. And p. 350. By faying, I believe the Holy Catholick Church, every one is understood to declare thus much: I am fully perfwaded, and make free Confeffion of this, as of a necessary and infallible Truth, that Chrift, by the preaching of the Apostles, did gather unto himself a Church, confifting of thousands of believing Perfons, and numerous Congregations, to which he added daily SUCH AS SHOULD BE SAV'D, AND WILL SUCCES SIVELY AND DAILY ADD UNTO THE SAME UNTO THE END OF THE WORLD: fo that BY THE VIR- CON |