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of the Roman People, their Bishops fhone fo much the brighter, and gained a proportionable Increase of ReIpect, and Opportunity to play their Pranks at Home; yet none of them were fo infolent as to affume the haughty Name of univerfal Bishop, for fix hundred Years atter Chrift came into the World.

This is apparent in Gregory, the firft of that Name, Bishop of Rome, who mounted that Chair about the Year 590. For in the Time of Gregory's Popedom, John the 4th. Bishop of Conftantinople, flushed with the Emperor's Prefence, and alledging that the Imperial City ought always to have the chief Bishop, wou'd needs affume to him(elf the Title of Oecumenical (that is, univerfal) Bishop.

And here it will deferve the Reader's Attention, to obServe the Arguments Pope Gregory ufes against any Bishop whatsoever, that shou'd term himself Universal: God in his wonderful Providence fo ordering, that this Questi on should now be argued and debated to the Full, that the Popes of the enfuing Ages might be condemned, out of the Mouth of their Predeceffor; and especially this Gregory, fo eminent and renowned a Perfonage a mongst them. We fhall therefore felect a few of his own Expreffions, faithfully tranflated out of fome of his Letters, extant in his Works, as follow.

Writing to the Emperor, he faith, (a) Peter was "not called univerfal Apoftle, and yet behold, my fel "low Prieft, John, fecketh to be call'd univerfal Bi"fhop. O Times! O Manners! Europe is now expofed

for a Prey to the Barbarians, and yet the Priefs who "fhould lay themselves in Duft, and weeping row! "themselves in Afhes, feek after Names of Vanity, and "boaft themselves of their new-found profane Titles."

Writing to Cyriacus, John's Succeffor, perfifting in the fame Pretenfions of Univerfality, he intreats him, (b) "To abolish that Word of Pride, by which there is

(a) Lib. 4. Ep. 32. (b) Lib. 4. Ep. 28.

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"fo great Scandal given to the Church: " For, fays hoy << Whofoever is defirous of Honour, contrary to the « Honour of God, fhall never be accounted honourable by me: Neither may you fay, that the using this Title is nothing; for if we hear this Matter quietly, we ose verthrow the Faith of the whole Church; the A"greement to this wicked Title is the lofing of the "Faith: What Anfwer wilt thou make unto Christ,

that is indeed the Head of the univerfal Church, at "the Tryal of the laft Judgment, that thou go:ft about, Under the Name of universal Bishop, to fubdue his * Members unto thee?

(a)" Becaufe Antichrift, the Enemy of the Almighty, " is now at Hand, my Defire is, that he may find nothing "of his own, either in the Manners or Names of the "Priests: I fpeak it boldly, whofoever calls himfelt, or

defires to be called of others, the univerfal Bishop or Prieft, is in his Pride the Forerunner of Antichrift; because in his Pride he fetteth himself before o*thers."

And the better to exprefs his Deteftation of fuch lofty Titles, in Oppofition to the faid John and Cyriacus; he first of all took to himself the Appellation of Serva's Servorum, the Servant of the Servants of God; which his Succeffors, with a moft impudent Hypocrify, to this Day retain; tho', at the fame Time, they use all Endeavours to domineer over all the World.

But Gregory liv'd but a fhort Time after, and was fucceeded by Sabinian, a Fellow born nobody knows where, and Platina fays, "None need care, for he was " a very Churl, and fo inveterate an Enemy to his Pre"deceffor, that he endeavour'd to have burn'd all his "Writings." He ruled the Roaft not full an Year and half, and then, (after a Vacancy of very near twelve whole Months) comes Pope Boniface the 3d. a Man very bold, and very ambitious; who about the Year of our Lord, 608. first honoured the Holy See with this

(a) Lib. 6. Ep. 30.

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Title of Supremacy, which he found means to obtain of Phocas, a Rebel, Murtherer, and Tyrant; who fucceeded Emperor Mauricius, his Liege Lord and Mafter, in the imperial Dignity, by this vile Method.

Emperor Maurice lofing the Hearts of his Army, Phocas, who was but a common Centurion, taking upon him to head the Mutineers, was by them proclaimed Emperor; and pursuing his lawful Sovereign, took him and his Family Prisoners; and having flain his Wife and Children before his Eyes, not fparing the little Innocent which hung at her Breaft, did afterwards caufe his Master's Throat to be cut: A procedure fo black and barbarous, that Hiftorians are at a lofs, fcarce knowing which to condemn most, his Treason, or his Cruelty.

But foon after this Rebel Tyrant affumed the Imperial Dignity, this Servus Servorum, his most humble Servant at Rome, feeing Phocas on the one Side, difpleas'd with his Rival for Univerfalfhip, the Patriarch of Conftantinople, because that Bifhop wou'd not approve of fuch his traiterous Murders: And on the other, jealous left the hatred of his Doings fhou'd occafion Italy to revolt from his Obedience; refolves to take Advantage of a Juncture fo favourable to his Defigns, and thereupon petitioning Phocas, and by the large proffers which he made of his good Service, obtains of him, that the Church of Rome Thou'd thenceforward be the Head of all other Churches, and that the Bishop of Rome thou'd be called the Sovereign and univerfal Bishop.

Thus Papal as well as Heathen Rome, had the Foundations of her Empire laid in Blood. A bafe Ufurper in Temporals creates another in Spirituals: A cruel Rebel, to confirm himself in an ill-invaded Throne, gratifies the Ambition of an afpiring Prelate; who in Requital is obliged to varnish over his Treafons with a Religious Glofs, and wipe out of Memory all his Villanies with this propitiatory Act of Merit, towards what he was pleafed to call the Church.

Suppofe now Gregory rifen from the Dead, to behold his Succeffor fo imperiously ufing that Title only, which he had fo formally condemned in all his Epiftles, how cou'd he avoid this necessary Conclufion, drawn from his

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own Words, fo often repeated? that is, "Whofoever "will be called univerfal Bishop, affumes to himself a prefumptuous, a profane, a facrilegious and an anti"chriftian Name: That he is the King of Pride, that he is

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Lucifer, which preferreth himself before his Brethren, "that he has forfaken the Faith, and is the Forerunner "of Antichrift; nay, Antichrift himself."

Mr. Du Pleffis, one of the reform'd Religion, and a Perfon of great Figure in France, in the Year 1611, published a Book, which he intituled, "The Mystery of "Iniquity;" wherein, from the Pride of Paul the sth. who filled the Holy See of Rome at that Time, and the Flatteries of his Creatures, Du Pleffis was afforded a large Field, to ftile the Pope Antichrift. The Occafion thus.

In a Book dedicated to that Pope, the firft Leaf reprefented a Tower of a prodigious Magnitude, which ap peared to the Spectators a Subject of Admiration, but it was only fuftained by fome Pieces of Timber which were fet on Fire. Two Latin Verfes advised the Reholders not to admire that vaft Building, which would tumble down as foon as ever the Fire had confumed thofe feeble Supporters. In the next Place, you faw the Etfigies of Paul the 5th. accompanied with Infcriptions. fo haughty and fo impious, that it wou'd have been impoffible to give the Reformed a better hold, tho' it had been done defignedly. Whatever Flatteries can be artributed to a Temporal Prince; whatever Holy Writ has spoke with moft Emphasis of

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Jefus Chrift himself, was apply'd Paulo, V. Vice-deo. to that Pope. And underneath the Figure, there was this Motto. Paulo, V. Vice-deo. To Paul the Fifth, a Vice-god. But that which was moft remarkable was, that Du Pleffis obferved, that the numeral Letters of the Latin, filled up very justly the famous Number 666, which all the Chriftians, according to the Teftimony of St. John, in the 13th of the Revelations, look upon to be the Number of

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Antichrift.

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CHAP. HI.

Against Prayers in an unknown Tongue.

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E need not take much Pains to prove, that the Romish Church hath made it an Article of Faith, that their publick Prayers fhou'd be repeated in a Tongue not generally understood by the People, which undoubtedly is one of the most grofs and ridiculous Errors that ever infected the Church; because, by this Innovation, the People, inftead of offering to God the Calves of their Lips, as the Scripture Phrafe is, are enforced to offer him the Lips of Calves, bleating and bellowing without Understanding.

That People fhou'd pray in a Tongue that they underftand, will appear, more certain, reasonable, and neceffary, it we confider, that Prayer in a known Tongue is commended first in general in all thofe Texts of Scrip ture which require us to come near unto God, and pray unto him with our Heart; for by the Heart, the Understanding, as well as the Will and Affections, is meant, as appears by that Prayer of Solomon's; “ Give

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me an understanding Heart." And then particularly, and in exprefs Words, the firft Epiftle of St. Paul to the Corinthians, the whole fourteenth Chapter confifts of a folemn Difputation upon this Subject: as if the Holy Ghost had purposely defign'd to arm us against this Po pifh Wickednels and Folly:" For if I pray in an un known Tongue, faith the Apostle, my Spirit prayeth,. 3. but my Understanding is unfruitful; What is it then?

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