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Show 302 Pang. ~ or .4 CHRISTIAN. Chain"; cafion of faying, Vpon rhz‘r flone I will [mild my Church: By which it is manifeft, that by the Foundation-Stone of the Church , was meantthe Fundamentall Article of the Churches vFaith. But why then (will fome objeé‘t) doth our Saviour interpofe thefc words,Thou art Peter! Ifthe originall of this text had been rigidly tranflated, the reafon would eafily have appeared: We are therefore to confi« der, that the Apoflle Simon, was furnamed Stone, (which is the fig- nification of the Syriacke word Cephru', and ofthe Greek word Pemu). Our Saviour therefore after the confeflion ofthat Fundamentall Article, alluding to his name, faid (as if it were in Englifli)tlius, Thou art Stone, and upon this Stone I will build my Church: which is as much as to fay, this Article, that I am the Chrzfl , is the Foundation of all the Faith I require in thofe that are to bee members of my Church: Neither is this allulion to a name , an unufuall thing in common fpeech : But it had been a flrange,and obfcure fpeech, if our Saviour intending to build his Church on the Perfon of 5. Peter, had faid, thou art a Stone, and upon the"; Stone 1 will huilel my Church, when it was ['0 obvious without ambiguity to have faid, I will huild my Church on thee5and yet there had been {till the fame allufion to his name. And for the following words, I willgive thee the Kaye: of Heat/err, (Jr-mt is no more than what our Saviour gave alfo to all the refl ofhis Difciples [Matt/J. 1 8. 1 8.] Wharfrzever yceflm/Z him! on E4rth,flmll he hound in H(KM/(fl. Ahdwhatfower ye[hull loofe on Earth, flmll he loofea' in Heaven. But howfoever this be interpreted, there is no doubt but the Power here granted belongs to all Supreme Paflors, fuch as are all Chrifiian Civill Soveraignes in their own Dominions. In fo much, as ifSt. Peter, or our Saviour himfelf had converted any of them to beleeve him, and to acknowledge his Kingdome; yet becaufe his Kingdome is not ofthis world, he had left the fuprcme care of converting his fubjeéts to none but him 5 or elfc hee mull have deprived him ofthe Soveraignty, to which the Right of Teaching is infeparably annexed. And thus much in refutation of his firfi Book, wherein hee would prove St. Peter to have been the Monarch L'lniverfall ofthe Church,that is to fay,ofall the Chriflians in the world. The [world Book. ' '4" 3- COMMON-WEALTH. dep,42; Antichrifl.For my part,I fee no argument that proves he is fo,in that 500K- fenfe the Scripture ufeth the name: nor will I take any argumem from the quality of Antichrilt, to contradiét the Authority he exercifeth, or hath heretofore exercifed in the Dominions of any other Prince,'or State. It is evident that the Prophets ofthe Old Teflamcnt foretold, and the Jews expected a Meffiah,that is, a Chrifi,that thould re-eftablilh amongfl them the kingdom of God,which had been rejected by them in the time of Samuel, when they required aKing after the manner ' of other Nations. This expectation of theirs, made them obnoxious to the Impofture of all fuch, as had both the ambition to attempt the attaining of the Kingdome, and the art to deceive the People by counterfeit miracles, by hypocriticalllife, or by orations and doc- trine plaufible. Our Saviour therefore, and his Apoftles fore» warned men of Falfe Prophets, and of Falfe Chrifls. Falfe Chrifis, are fuch as pretend to be the Chryl, but are not, and are called properly Antzehrrflr, in fuch fenfe, as whenthere happenethaSchifme in the Church by the election oftwo Popes, the one calleth the other Ahtzpofo, orthe falfe Pope. And therefore Antichriflin the properfignitication hath two efleittiall marks, One, that he denyeth Jefus robe Chrifi; and another that he profelfeth himfelfe to bee Chrift. The fill} Mark is fet down by SJohu in his I Epift. 4. ch. 3. \‘er. Every Spint that confeffeth not that Iefw Chrlfl is tome m the flefl1,unot ofGod, Audlhis 1: the Spirit of Antichrlfl. The other Mark is expreffed inthc words ofour Saviour, (Mar. 24. 5'. ) Many [ha/l tome In my nttme,/.'zying, I am Chm/l, and again, If (my mm flm/I [1y unto you, Lee, 1371 It (Ihr/fl, there 1'; Chm/f, helemre it nor. And therefore Antichrifi mull be a Falfe Chrifl, that is, fome one of them that thall pretend tliemle1ves to be Chnft. And out of thefe two Marks, Io deny no; to he the Chr/fl‘, and to affirm himfelf'e to he the Chnfl, it followeth, that he muff alfo be an Aa'trerfary oflet yo; [he true Chrzfl, which is another ufuall iignificarion of the word Antichrill. But ofthefe many Antichrifis,there isonc fpeciall one, 5 "75am", ‘1 he Ant/chrzfl, or Autzehrzfldefinite , as one certaine One , that 8. Peter perfon-7 not indefinitely .m Ar/nchnfl. Now Relemg the Pope of was Biihop of Rome, and there dyed: The other, that the Popes of Rome are his Succeffors. Both which have been difputed by Others. But fuppofing them true; yet ifby Bithop of Rome, bee underilood either the Monarch of the Church, or the Supreme Paflor of it; not Rome, neither pretendethhimfelf, nor denyeth jelus to bee the Chriii, I perceive not how he can be callcciAntichrift_-, by which word is not meant, one that falfely pretendeth to be Hi: Lieutenant, Silvefler , but Confiantine (who was the firit Chriftian Emperour) was that Bifhop; and as Confiantingfo all other Chriltian Emperors time of this fpeciallAntichrifl, as(M.zt. 24.15.) when that abomi- were of Right fupreme Bifliops ofthe Roman Empire; I fay of thc Roman Empire,not of all Chrifiendome : For other Chriflian Soveraigns had the fame Right in their feverall Territories , as to an 0 Ce efl'entially adheerent to their Soveraitnty. Which thall tervc place, andfuch tribulationas was not finCc the beginning of the world, nor everihallbe again, infomuch asifit were to lall long, he/hortmed(m;idt fewer). Butthattribulation is not yet come; for for anfwer to his fecond Book. it is to be followed immediately( ver.29. ,iby a darkening of the The fecond Book hath two Conclufions : V In 30.; In the third Book, he handleth the quefiion whether the Pope be The third or Vicar generall, but to be Hee. There IS alfo fomc Mark of the nable Deitroyer, fpoken of by Daniel, " {hall {land inthe Holy ‘ IMO-37- (ver. 22 .) no flelh could he (owed, hutfor the eleé'fr/ohe tho/e dizyrjholl Sun and Moon,a falling ofthe Stars, aconcuflion ofthe Heavens, and the glorious coming again ofour Saviour in the cloudes. And Q3 2 therefore |