been, since the writing of the New Testament, any empire, but that of the church of Rome, so universal for one thousand two hundred and sixty years together, as to have all that dwell upon earth, peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues, to worship it; which is St John's description of the new power that prevailed on the inhabitants of the earth to receive his idolatrous constitutions, and yield obedience to his tyrannical authority. And all that dwell on the earth shall worship him *, except those who are enrolled in the registers, as heirs of eternal life, according to the promises of the mediator of acceptance and blessing. The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues +. Bellarmine's Universality is then directly against him.. The Cardinal's second note, continued DORICK, is antiquity, and his third, a perpetual and uninterrupted duration. But on examination, I could find no ruling power, except Rome papal, so ancient, as to have the blood of prophets, and saints, and of all that were slain upon earth, of that kind for that space of time, to be found in it. And what Rule but papal Rome had ever so long a duration upon * Revel, ch. xiii. v. 8. + Ibid. ch. xvii. v. 15. seven hills, so as to answer the whole length of the time of the Saracen and Turkish empires. The Cardinal's fourth note is amplitude, and it is most certain, that never had any other church such a multitude and variety of believers, as to have all nations drink of the wine of her fornication, and to gain a blasphemous power over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. The fifth note is the succession of its bishops; and the sixth, Agreement with the doctrine of the ancient church. Now it is most true, that none but Rome was ever so eminently conspicuous for so long a time for the succession of its bishops under one supreme patriarch, as to be the living image of all the civil dignities of the empire, where it was under one supreme church-head exercising all the power of the civil head: nor did ever any enemy of God's church act for so long a time like the red dragon in its bloody laws against the followers of the lamb and yet so far agree with the primitive church in fundamental doctrines, as to answer the character of a false prophet with the horns of the lamb, that is, Christ, but speaking like the red dragon to his followers, as the church of Rome has done*. : * Reader, it is well worth your while to turn to the first volume of that admirable work, the Salter's-Hall The seventh note of Bellarmine's holy Roman catholic church, is the Union of the members Sermons against Popery, and there see how the Cardinal's notes of his church are considered by that learned and excellent man, Dr. Samuel Chandler. His consideration of the sixth note more immediately concerns me here, and therefore I give you an abstract of it. The writings of the apostles are allowed even by our adversaries to be the oldest records of Christianity, and therefore to this ancient and infallible rule we ought to appeal, to determine the controversy between us and the papists, that is, to see how far this antiquity favours their doctrine and practices, or is in agreement with ours. 1. The protestants renounce the Pope, and acknowledge one law-giver, the Lord Jesus Christ, for these reasons, That the Pope is not mentioned in the New Testament; that Christ says, one is your master, even Christ; and St. Paul says, there is but one Lord, and one Faith: the whole family in heaven and earth is named of the Lord Jesus Christ. 2. Protestants do not pay any worship at all to saints and angels, but as St. Paul directs, consider Jesus Christ as their sole mediator and advocate; for there is but one God, and one mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ. They say, such veneration and prayer to saints and angels is superstition and will-worship, and only worship God with all their hearts and souls, with the most raised affections, and the highest degrees of among themselves, and with the head. And sure it is, that no where else but in Rome papal, has there love and fear, faith and confidence; for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord God, and him only shalt thou serve. And the angel in the Revelation said to John, who fell down at his feet to worship him, See thou do it not, for I am thy fellow-servant. 3. We affirm, that in the sacrament of the Lord's Supper, after consecration, there is nothing existent but bread and wine; for St. Paul says, 'Whosoever shall eat this bread and drink this cup,' and 'as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup.' : 4. We affirm the eucharist is only a memorial of Christ's death; for Christ says, do this in remembrance of me; and St. Paul assures the Corinthians from Christ himself; Cor. ch. xi. v. 24, that they were to receive the elements with this view only and in his epistle to the Hebrews he tells us, that by one offering Christ hath for ever perfected those who are sanctified; and that because there is remission of sins under the new covenant, there is no more offering for sin; which proves, the eucharist is not a propitiatory sacrifice. 5. We renounce the doctrine of purgatory, and affirm that the future state is no state of probation; for at death, the dust shall return to the earth as it was, and the spirit shall return to God who gave it. And St. Paul declares, that at the judgment-seat of Christ every one shall receive the things done in the body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. been such an union of head and members for that length of time, as to apply the one mind of the ten 6. Protestants affirm, that the worship of God ought to be performed in a language which all men understand; and that they have a right to search the scriptures. For, if I speak with tongues, says the apostle, in such a language as those I speak to cannot understand, what shall I profit you? Let all things be done to edifying. And Christ bids us search the scriptures. And how could the word of Christ dwell richly in us in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, if we had not the word of Christ, and the scriptures of truth to read and consult for ourselves. These are the protestant doctrines, and we see they were taught by Christ and by his apostles. We have the sanction of the most venerable antiquity on our side, and this note of the true church of Christ belongeth to us in the highest perfection. When the papists then scornfully say, Where was your church before Luther and Calvin? The answer is obvious: the doctrine of our church was in the writings of the inspired apostles, where the church of Rome is never to be found; the same that was taught by Christ himself, whom they have forsaken, and whose faith they have corrupted. As to our predecessors and professors, they were the persecuted disciples of the crucified Jesus, those martyrs and confessors, whose blood the church of |