SERM. words" upon you, it will be impossible for them ever to deceive you.

VI.

But then you must remember to conform to the discipline as well as to the doctrine of our Church, not hypocritically, indifferently, and partially, but sincerely, constantly, universally, so as to observe and do whatsoever she commands, either in her Liturgy, Canons, or Constitutions. By this means you will live as the Primitive Fathers did, and come short of none of the most eminent Christians that ever lived since the Apostles' times. By this you will shame the adversaries of our Church into a compliance with her, when they see how far you outstrip them in all true grace and virtue: yea, by this means you will be really saints on earth and glorified saints in Heaven. For be but you as pious towards God, as loyal to our Queen, as sober in yourselves, as faithful to your friends, as loving to your enemies, as charitable to the poor, as just to all, as our Church enjoins you; in a word, be but you as conformable to her, as she is to the Catholic Church in all things, and my life, my eternal life for yours, you cannot but be happy for evermore. Which God of His infinite mercy grant we may all be, in and through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, to whom, &c.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, &c.

SERMON VII.

CHRIST'S CHURCH ESTABLISHED ON A ROCK.

MATT. xvi. 18.

And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church.

ALTHOUGH the Son of God hath, with His own most precious blood, purchased pardon and salvation for us, yet we have no ground or reason to expect that we shall ever be actually possessed of it, unless we use those means which He Himself hath prescribed and appointed in order thereunto; which being duly and effectually administered only in the Church, which He for that purpose hath "established " upon earth, He therefore "addeth to the Church daily such [Acts 2.47.] as shall be saved." And that mankind may never want an opportunity of obtaining eternal salvation by Him, He always did, and ever will take care that His said Church, wherein they may obtain it, be upheld and preserved in the world, notwithstanding all the opposition that men or devils can make against it: which being a matter of so great importance and comfort to us all, our Saviour did not think it enough to acquaint His Apostles with it when He was upon earth, but He hath left it upon record, that we and all generations may always have it from His own mouth, and so be fully assured of it, in these words; " And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it."

In speaking to which words, I might first take notice how horribly they have been abused, and wrested so far, that they have been brought in as an evidence for that

K

VII.

SERM. absolute and unlimited power, or rather tyranny, which the Bishop of Rome pretends to, not only over all his brethren, the Bishops and Pastors of the Church, but likewise over all the Sovereign Princes and Emperors of the world. But if he hath no better title to the Bishopric of Rome, than he hath to such an universal bishopric and monarchy over all the world from these words, the See is certainly void, and the conclave may choose another into it when they please. For what if our Lord said to Simon, "Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church?" What is all this to the Pope of Rome? How comes he to be so much concerned in these words, wherein there is not the least mention nor intimation either of Rome itself, or the Pope there, much less of any such universal authority granted to him? Certainly he that lays claim to such an extraordinary power, as derived to him from Christ, (far greater than Christ Himself would ever exercise upon earth,) had need to have more to shew for it than these, or any other words in the Holy Gospel will afford him.

But this being a cause wherein the Bishop of Rome hath been so often cast and baffled already, and we having so little reason to fear that it will ever be tried over again, either in this or any other reformed Church, now that princes are grown wiser than to give away their crowns, and subject themselves to a foreign power upon such groundless pretences; I shall say no more at present to it, but only mind you in general of the proper meaning of the words.

Our Lord having asked His Apostles," whom men thought Him to be," He then propounded the same question to them, saying, "But whom say ye that I am?" To which Peter in the name of the rest answers, "Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God." Upon which our Lord having pronounced him blessed, for being enabled to give so true and sound an answer to so great a question, he adds, “And I also say unto thee, thou art Peter" (a rock, as the word signifies,)" and upon this rock I will build My Church:" that is, thou shalt be one of those upon whom I will build My Church, like an house upon a rock, that shall never be moved.

He that looks upon these words with a single eye, may

easily discern this to be the natural sense and meaning of them; especially if he reads them by that light which St. Paul hath given them, where he tells the Ephesians, that they, and so the whole Church, were "built upon the Eph. 2. 20. foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner-stone." For it is plain from hence, that the Church was "built upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets;" but it is plain also, that Peter was one of the Apostles, and therefore that it was built upon him as well as upon the other Apostles. But then it was built upon the other also as well as upon him: for St. Paul, who perfectly understood our Lord's meaning, asserts it of the Apostles in general, not only of St. Peter in particular. And although our Saviour in my text directs His discourse to St. Peter in particular, because he had spoke to Him in the name of all the rest, yet He doth not thereby exclude the other Apostles, but rather includes them all in him. So that as he had spoken the sense of all the rest to Christ, so all the rest were equally concerned in what Christ then spoke to him: as appears also, from what our Lord saith further to him in the words following my text; "And I will give thee the keys of the kingdom of Heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth, shall be bound in Heaven; and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth, shall be loosed in Heaven." Where we may obmy text, not in the

serve, that our Lord speaks, as in present, but future tense; and so doth not give St. Peter the keys now, but promiseth to give them hereafter to him: “I will,” saith He, "give thee the keys of the kingdom of Heaven." But that this promise, though spoken only to St. Peter, yet was meant for all the other Apostles as well as for him, is plain and undeniable; it was fulfilled to all the rest as well as to him: for it was not fulfilled till after Christ's resurrection, when He breathed on His Apostles, and said, "Receive ye the Holy Ghost; whosesoever sins John 20. 22, ye remit, they are remitted; and whosesoever sins ye retain, they are retained." Now were the keys, according to the aforesaid promise, given to St. Peter; but not to him only, but to the rest of the Apostles with him. Whereby our Lord Himself hath fully demonstrated, that the promise

23.

SERM. which He here made to St. Peter, was intended by Him for VII. all His Apostles as well as for him; and by consequence that this part of it likewise was so, where He saith, “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church."

And then it follows, " And the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it." Which words containing matter very proper for the occasion, by His assistance who spake them, I shall endeavour to speak, though very briefly, to them: and for that purpose shall first observe in general, that our Saviour here supposeth that the gates of Hell will do what they can to destroy His Church; but He assures us withal, that "they shall not prevail against it."

First therefore, in that our Saviour saith, "that the gates of Hell shall not prevail against His Church," He plainly intimates and supposeth that they will do what they can to ruin and destroy it: where by the gates of Hell, He means the Devils there, sitting as it were in council, as the ancients were wont to do in the gates of their city, and there consulting together, how to undermine and overthrow the Church that Christ hath established upon earth.

And verily, seeing that Christ came into the world on purpose to destroy the works of the Devil, and that it is in and by His Church that He always doth it, it is no wonder that the Devil endeavours all he can to destroy that for if that could be once effected, he would meet with no opposition in the world, but would tyrannise over all mankind as he formerly did, and still doth where the Church is not yet settled. Whereas in such places where Christ's Church is established, and so His Word and Sacraments are rightly administered, there the Devil's power is opposed, his service neglected, his oracles silenced, his stratagems countermined, and his whole kingdom mightily depopulated and laid

waste.

For when men are first admitted into the Church, they renounce the Devil and all his works, and list themselves under Christ's banner: and then whatsoever attempts the Devil may afterwards make upon them to recover them again into his possession, the Church by Christ's order keeps them under such discipline, and supplies them continually with such spiritual armour of God's word, whereby they are