REASONS AGAINST THE ROMISH NOTION OF UNITY. 399 the guides of particular churches; but the honour and obedience due to those paramount authorities, or universal governors, is passed over in dead silence, as if no such thing hadbeen thought of. They expressly avow the secular pre-eminence, and press submis- sion to the emperor as supreme; why do they not likewise mention this no less considerable ecclesiastical supremacy or enjoin obedience thereunto? Why " Honour the king," and " Be subject to principa- lities," so often, but " Honour the spiritual prince or senate" never occurs?Rom. xiii. 1; Titus iii. 1; 1 Pet. ii. 13, 17; 1 Tim. ii. 1, 2. If there had been any such authority, there would probably have been some intimation concerning thepersons inwhom it was settled, concerning the place of their residence, concerning the manner of its being conveyed, by election, succession, or otherwise. Probably the persons would have some proper name, title, or cha- racter to distinguish them from inferior governors; [it is probable] that to theplace somemark of pre-eminence would have been affixed. It is not unlikely that somewhere some rules or directions would have been prescribedfor the management of so high a trust, for pre- venting miscarriages and abuses, to which it is notoriously liable. It would have been declared absolute, or the limits of it would have been determined, to prevent its enslaving God's heritage. But of these things in the apostolical writings, or inany near those times, there does not appear any footstep or pregnant intimation. There has never to this day been any place but one (namely, Rome) which has pretended to be the seat of such an authority; the plea whereof we largely have examined.* At present we shall only observe, that before the Roman church was founded, there were churches otherwhere. There was a great church at Jerusalem ;1 which indeedwas the "mother ofall churches, ' and was by the fathers so styled, however Rome now arrogates to herself that title.Acts ii. 41, 47, iv. 4, vi. 1, viii. 1. There were issuing from that mother a fair offspring of churches (those of Judea, of Galilee, of Samaria, of Syria and Cilicia, of divers other places) before there was any church at Rome, or that St Peter did come thither, which was at least divers years after our Lord's ascension.' Acts ix. 31, xv. 41, xi. 19, viii. 1; 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 19 ; Rom. xvi. 4. St Paul was converted; .... after five [three] years he went toJeru- salem, then St Peter was there; after fourteenyears thence he went to Jerusalem again, and then St Peter was there; after that he met with St Peter at Antioch.Gal. i. 18, 19, ii. 1, 9, 11. Where then was Referring to his Treatise on the Supremacy, pp. 203, &c. ED. s 'EvrxsAúvsro Apropos amv patinvrmv iv'Ispoveakm¡.c ç i,,a. Acts vi. 7. Mñprnp iavrasav Trov íMXZna,GI, ,i iv `Iiporoxú¡<as. Cone. Const. in Synod. Ep. Theod. v. 9. s Vales. in Euseb. ii. 16.
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