ble of any fuch Weakness: Tho' he express'd himself but odly.

II. The Universal Confent of Antiquity is clear by this, First, That none, either of the Ancient Councils or Fathers, ever acknowledg'd any to be in the Catholick Church, but only fuch as were in their own Communion. Secondly, That it was abfolutely a Paradox to Antiquity, that Salvation could be Secure in different Communions. For thefe, I defire the Reader would be pleafed to Confider the following Inftances.

- First, the VIII. Canon of the Nicene Council Novatians evidently fuppofes, the Novatians were no Part out of the of the Catholick Church. Altho' they deny'd not, Church. what Protestants call Fundamentals: and their Sect, in the Time of this Council, was of above 70 Years standing; and fo highly efteem'd by many, both in the East and West, that the Council thought fit to admit their Bifhops and Clergy, after their Converfion, to the Exercise of their Functions.

The Chief Errours of the Novatians were Thefe; First, That the Church had not Power toi forgive Sins; efpecially that of Denying Chrift; as feveral had done in the Perfecution of Decius. But that fuch Sinners were only to be left to God's Mercy, as appears by (1) St.Cyprian; by, (2) Acefius and (3) Afclepiades, Novatian Bishops; by the Dialogue of (4) Zachaus and Apollonius and by (1) Socrates. Secondly, they Condemn'd Second Marriages. Thirdly, They re-baptized all that had been Christen'd out of their Communion.

() Epift. 52. Edit. Pam. anno 1603. pag. 102. (2) Apud· Socratem. lib. 1. cap. 10. Edit. Valef, anno 1668. pag. 38,39 (3) Apud eundem. pag. 367.(+) in Spicilegio Acheriano. Edit, Par, anno 1675. T. 10. p. 4. (5) lib. 8. cap. 28. p. 245.

L3

Hence

Decimans

"Hence the Council required of them, that "they fhould promife in writing, to fubmit to "all the Doctrines of the Church; and to Com"municate with thofe that were twice Married,

or had fall'n in the Time of the Perfecuti“ on. Concerning Fundamentals, (') St. Cyprian tells us, the Novatians made Ufe of the fame Creed that they Confefs'd the fame God the Father, the fame Son Jefits Christ, and the fame Holy Ghost.LE

2. THE Second General Council Can. 7. Orders in what manner Hereticks are to be re

Quarto ceived into the Church. And among these, reckons the Novatians, and Quarto-decimans. The out of the latter Sect, Oppofed not the Fundamentals of Church. Religion, in the Proteftant Senfe, but quar

rel'd about the Solemnity of Eafter. Whether it was to be kept (as it is at prefent, and had been Regulated by the Council of Nice) on the Sunday following the Fourteenth Day of the First Moon; or on the Fourteenth Day it felf, according to the Custom of the Churches in Afia; grounded (as they fuppofed) on the Practice of St. John Evangelift, and St. Philip the Apoftle; as it certainly was upon that of St. Polycarp, whom the Apostles made Bifhop of Smyrna, and of St. Melito Bishop of Sardis. This Difpute ran high in the Time of St. Victor, near the End of the Second Century.

3. THE Donatifts Schifm, begun about the Year 304, and continued about Three Hundred Years. Their Errors, were Chiefly thefes

(1) Epift. 76. ad Magnum. Eodem Symbalo uti,deundem noffee Deum Patrem, eundem Filium Chriftum, eundem Spiritum Sanctum.

In their

were

• First, That all, who were Chriften'd by Hereticks, or Schifmaticks, were to be Re-baptized; or Baps tized rather, the First Baptifm being reputed Null. Secondly, That the Catholick Church of all Nations perif'd, by Communicating unlaw fully with Cecilianus Bishop of Carthage, whom they Accused of being Un-canonically Ordain'd Thirdly, That (by Confequence) they only, were the True Church of Chrift They be came a numerous Sect in Africa, having above 400 Bishops in their Communion. But the Council at Fathers would never grant them, to be any Part Bagai, an. of the Catholick Church. You late with us, fays 394, there (1) St. Auguftin, in Baptifm, in the Creed, in the 310 for Primiorbers Sacraments of God. But in the Spirit of Uni anus: besy and in the Bond of Peace & lastly, in the Entho fides 100 lick Chirch you are not with In the lame against Erftle, fpeaking of the Advantage the Church had received, by the Severity of the Imperial 165. Laws against the Donatifts(2) How many, fays Donahe, thinking there was no Difference, on whether tits out of fide a Chriftian was; remaind with the Donatifts, the Church. because they were Born there; and no one forc'd them to change Sides and to come over to the Catholick Church? Which he calls their (3) CatholickA si bo mikoe

C

. I

(')\Epift. 93. Edit. Bened. (olim 48 ad Vincentium) anno 409, S. 46, Nabifcum eftis in Baptifmo, in Symbolo, ia cæteris Dominicis Sacramentis. In Spiritu autem Unita tis, & vincuto Pacis, in ipfa denique Catholica Ecclefia nobifcum non eftis. (*) Ibidem. §. 17. Quàm multi nihil intereffe credentes, in quâ quifque Parte Chriftianus fit, ideo permanebant in Parte Donati, quia ibi nati e rant, & eos inde difcedere, atque ad Catholicam nemo tranfire cogebate (3) Epift. 185 (olim so), ad Boni facium Comitem anno 417, S. 46. Habeant ergo ifti de præterito deteftabili Errore amarum dolorem, & ve niant ad Ecclefiam Chrifti veram, hoc eft, Matrem Ca

L 4

him. Till

T. 6. P.

'Mother:

Mother and exhorts them to return to Her, that they may be Saved.

AND St. Optatus, a Learned Bishop of Numidia, writing about the Year 370, against Parmenianus the Donatifts's Bishop of Carthage: (1) You fay, you are the whole Church: But you are o Part of it. Next he makes his own Claim good, by reckoning up all the Bishops of Rome, from St. Peter to Pope Siricius then Living. Hic nofter eft Socius, fays he, cum quo nobis totus obis, Commercio Formatarum, in unâ Communionis Societate concordat. Siricius is ours, with whom all the Faithful in the World are in Our Commu nion, by Authentick Letters of Communication. He alfo takes Notice, (2) that the Catholick Church is only One and a House, Built by the Alwww.mighty. But that the Donatifts's Building is, in the Language of Scripture, a Wall of Partition only; in which, if a Door be fet whoever enters, is ftill without, Quicunque intraverit, foris eft. I

.T

TH

3 da (9) Ted all 1. HE Schifm of the Anti-Pope Novatian (as well as that of Feliciffimus at Carthage), begun in the Year 251. It continued a long time, not only in Italy; but alfo at Alexandria, in feveral Provinces of Afia, at Conftantinople, in

tholicam. S.Pro, Ecclefia Catholica fola Corpus eft Chrifti. Extra hoc Corpus, neminem vivificat Spiritus Sanctus. Non habent ergo Spiritum San&tum, qui funt extra Ecclefiam. (*) Lib. 2. contra Parmen. Vultis vos folos effe Totum, qui in omni Toto non eftis. (*) Lib. 3.

Scythia,

Scythia, and in Africa. St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, oppofed them both vigorously from the very Beginning! And with all the Force, which Charity could infpire, endeavour'd to Reclaim thofe, whom the Spirit of Faction had engaged in a feparate Communion. By letting them fee, First, That the True Church, could only be in One Communion. Secondly, That fuch, as are (wilfully) out of it, cannot be Saved. This is the whole defign of his Book, Entitled, Of the Unity of the Church.

A

2. THE Church, (1) fays he, is One; As there are many Rays of the Sun, but One Light: As there are many Branches of a Tree, but one Stem; many Rivulets, but one Spring. Separate a Ray of the Sun from the Body of Light, it cannot be: Branch, cut off from the Tree, will not grow. Stream, feparated from the Fountain, will not run. It is thus the Church Spreads forth her Rays through the whole World, Yet the Light is One and the fame in all Places, without having its Unity Divided.

A

AND a little after, (2) Does any one think this Unity of the Church, which comes from God, and is

() Lib, de Unitate Ecclefias in Edit. Oxon. p. 78. Ecclefia una eft, quæ in multitudinem latius incremento foe cunditatis extenditur: quomodo Solis multi radii, fed lumen unum ; & rami Arboris multi, fed robur unum, tenaci radice fundatum ; & cum de fonte uno rivi plurimi defluunt, numerofitas licet diffufa videatur exundantis copiæ largitate, Unitas tamen fervatur in Origlie. Avelle radium Solis à corpore, Divifionem lucis unitas non capit. Ab arbore frange ramum, fractus germinare non poterit. A fonte præcide rivum, præcifus áréfcet. Sie Ecclefia, Domini luce perfufa, per orbem totum radios fuos porrigit. Unum tamen Lumen eft, quod ubique diffunditur, nec Unitas Corporis feparatur. (2) Pag. 79, Et quifquam credit hanc Unitatem, de divinâ firmi tate venientem, Sacramentis coeleftibus cohærentem, fcinCemented