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A58090
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Religio laici, or, A lay-mans faith touching the supream head and infallible guide of the church : in two letters to a friend in the country / by J. R. a convert of Mr. Bays's.
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J. R., Convert of Mr. Bays's.
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1688
(1688)
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Wing R30; ESTC R16164
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20,013
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32
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my Kingdom were of this world then would my Servants fight that I should not be deliver'd to the Jews but now is my Kingdom not from hence which I think is a very powerful Argument against him who calls himself Christ's Vicar and Lords it over all the Kingdoms of the World contrary to Christs Command and the Practice of the Apostles and Primitive Christians for almost a Thousand years after Christ But to proceed since we cannot find in all the time of our Saviours being with his Disciples in the Flesh any thing to warrant our belief of St. Peters being the Head c. We will go one step further and inquire if after his Resurrection which was the accomplishment and Confirmation of all he had deliver'd to them whether he did deliver to St. Peter any Power or Commission more than he did to any of the rest of his Disciples In the three last verses of the 28th of St. Matthew we thus read All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth go Ye therefore and teach all Nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I command you and loe I am with you even to the end of the world Now 't is granted that here is a Commission given but to whom was it deliver'd to Peter James or John c. No but to them all in those words Go Ye c. Neither do we find any distinction though St. Peter and all the rest was there at the same time as you may read verses the 16th and 17th of that Chapter Then the Eleven Disciples went away to Galilee into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them and when they saw him they worshipped him but some doubted And in St. Mark the 16th and the 14th and 15. verses And afterward he appeared unto the Eleven as they sat at meat and upbraided them with their unbelief and hardness of heart because they believed not them which had seen him after he was risen And he said unto THEM go YE into all the world and preach the Gospel to every Creature So that here is again the same Commission but without any Preheminence given to either of them St. Luke makes no mention of this Matter And for that Place of St. John which the Romanists brag so much of from our Saviour biding St. Peter three times feed his Sheep it is I think impossible to be understood as if from thence our Saviour intended Him to be the Head and Chief of the Apostles but rather as it is most probable to strengthen his Faith that he might be the better enabled to go through with a difficult Work for we find our Saviour telling him in the two following verses being the 18th and 19th of the last of St. John What he was to suffer for his sake c. So that it is very reasonable to suppose that our Saviour's knowing his weakness from his former denying him might upon that account lay a more strict Command upon him than any of the rest Besides it is not unreasonable to suppose from those words of our Saviour viz. Simon Son of Jonas lovest thou me which was as oft repeated as his biding him Feed his Sheep might be to upbraid him for his former denying him whereby he might take notice he had given our Blessed Lord sufficient reason to doubt and as he had notwithstanding his Resolution to the contrary deny'd him with Oaths and Imprecations three several times So possible that might be one great Reason why our Saviour did likewise trible his Commands c. And to me it appears plain that our Saviours trible Command of biding St. Peter Feed his Sheep can have no Relation to his being made Head of the Church notwithstanding that Papistical objection viz. to whom did our Saviour so oft bid Feed his Sheep c which objection I must needs say is a very strong sheepish one though at the same time I know it is urg'd as a strong Argument to confirm as they say the Commission which our Saviour gave to St. Peter in those words viz. Thou art Peter and upon this Rock c. And they tell us our Saviour's giving such a particular charge to St. Peter must import something more than ordinary which indeed is very true and I think the reason as plain for as I before observ'd our Saviour well knowing his Faith wanted his special assistance took more than ordinary care that his Faith might be agreeable to his Confession which indeed was the Rock our Saviour meant and to that purpose we read in the 22. of St. Luke the 31. and 32. verses And the Lord said Simon Simon behold Satan hath desired to have you that he may sift you as wheat but I have prayed for thee that thy Faith fail not and when thou art converted strengthen thy brethren By which words we find he was not as yet converted nor indeed any of them until after the Resurrection for as our Saviour had foretold Matthew the 26. verse the 31. I will smite the Shepherd and the Sheep of the flock shall be scatter'd abroad So after the Jews had put our Saviour to death we find them disperc'd and scatter'd up and down for indeed they could not tell well what to make of the matter as appears by the discourse our Saviour had with some of them as they were going to Emmaus which was distant from Jerusalem some three-score Furlongs Luke the 24. from the 13. to the 25. verse and at the 21. verse But we trusted that it had been He which should have Redeemed Israel c. By which it appear'd they was still in doubt but after Christs Ascension and sending the Holy Ghost the promised Comforter amongst them we find they were very bold and couragious and some thousands was converted Acts the 2. and the 41. at St. Peter's first Sermon from which some Learned Men have understood those words Vpon this Rock I will build my Church c. as a particular favour of our Saviours to St. Peter in making him the first Instrument of laying the Foundation of his Church not at Rome but Jerusalem which indeed was the Mother Church and as our Saviour was to the Jews so may the misunderstanding that Place of Scripture viz. Vpon this Rock c. be a stumbling Block possibly to the Papist And for those words of our Saviours bidding St. Peter feed his Sheep it cannot possible without taking leave of our Understandings be understood as our Roman Friends would perswade us but much rather from their being so oft repeated we may reasonable gather our Saviours purpose was they should make the greater and deeper impression in his Heart that so he might not forget this his last Command as he forgot him Matthew the 26.72 ver And again he deny'd him with an oath I do not know the Man. And so much shall suffice for our inquiry how or in