Is the Pope Amichrijl ? 777 1T. whether Baptifm and Ordination given by them be Nullities, I anfwer, no; on a fun her ac~ . count, r. Bcc:aufc that the M'iniihy which is a nullity tO the receiver ( rh:r..t is, God will punifh him Mat h. 7· =~; ~an U£iuptr,) may y::t perform thofe Minificrial Acts which are no Nulliries to rht Church. EHe Ph. 14• 2 6" how confufcd a cafe would all Churches be in? For it is hard tver to know whether Minillers have 11 ' 1 ' 15'~ 7: all things effcntial to tbcir Office? Suppofe a man be ignorant or an Hercrick againft fome ctf~ntial M)rk 9 . 40. Article of faith; or fuppofc that he feigned Orders of Ordination .when he had none; ,or thar he · was ordained by fuch as really had no power to do it; or fi.1ppofe he pretended rhc conknt of the major)cy of the people, when really the greater part were for.a.nother; .,lfall thsbe unknown, hi:; BaptiZing and othtr adrninifirations are not thereby made Null!ues ~o the Church, though they be fins in him: The Reafon is, becaufe that the Church !hall not fuJla, nor lofc he.r righr for another mans fin! when the fault is not thtirs, the lofS and pun:Chmcnt (hall not be theirE. He rhat is found in polfdfion of the place, performeth valid adminiftrarion to them that know nut,his ufUrpation, and are not guilty of ir. Otherwlfe we {hould never have done H.~:- baptizing, nor know eafily when we receive any.valid adminiftrations, while we are fo difagreed about the NeceJTa:ics of the Office and Call ; and when it is fo hard in a_ll things to judge of tht C11l of ::t!l orher men. · 2· And as the Papifis fay, that a private man or woman may baptize in extremity,. fa many Learned Protdh:nts think, that though a privare mans Baptifin be a tin, yet it is no nullity, though he were known to be no Minifier. And what is faid of Baptifm,ro avoid tedioufnefs, you m1y fuppofc faid of Ordination, which will cury the firfi cafe far, as to tbe Validity of the Miuilhy received by Papi!ts Ordination, as well as of Baptifm and ViGb!eChrifiianity Jeceivcd by them. For my put, God ufc:d Parfiw Book.. ofRefolu– tion corrected, fo mucb to my good, and l have known (Q tmany eminent Chnllians) and forne Mi– nifiers converted by it , that J am glad that I hear none make a conrrovcrfie of it, whcrhcr the convcifion, faith, or Love to God be valid, which we recdve by the Books or means of any hpifi? Qgefl:. 4· Whet!Jer it be nti:ejfmy to believe t!Jat t!<e Pope u tl1e Antichrift? I T is one qudlion, Whether heheAntichrift, and another, Whether it be neaff'arytobelieveit? To the firl\: I f3.y, r. There arc many Anrichrifts: And we muU remove the ambigoity of the name, before we ·can refolvc the quefiion. If by AntichriH be meant, [One that tt[Hrptth tht Office of a Vniverfal Vicar of Cbrijf, and'Conftitutive and Governing Htad of the whole Vifible Church, and hereby layeth the ground of Schifiui, and Comemion1, and Bloodjhed in the world, .ztJd wottld rob Chrift of dU hiJ members, who art uot of tbt Popes Ki11gdorn 1 and that formtth a multifarious Nlinijfry for this {er– vict, and corrupttth mztcb ofthe DoUri;zt, 1Yorjhip and Di{cipline of the Church, J in this-fenfe no doubt but ~he Pope is Antichrilt. . , But if by Amichrijl be meant him puticularly defcribed in the Apocalypt and Thcf!,Joniant, then· rtle controvcrfic dt rt, is about the C}(pofilion of thofe dark Prophecies. Of which I can fay no more but this, I. That if the Pope be not He ; he had ill luck to be fa like him. 2· That Dr.Maors Moral Arguments, and Bifhop Downhams and many others cxpolitory arguments, are fuch as 1 can– nor anfwer. 3· But yet my sk1ll is not fo great in interpreting thofc obfcurc Prophecies, as that I· can fay, I am furc that it is the Pope they fpeak of, and that Lyr(J, learned Z11nchy and others· that think it is MaJJomct, or others tha:t otherwife interpret them, were miilaken. I!. But to the fecond "Qldlion, I more boldly r.y, '·That every one that indeed knoweth this to be the ft:nfc of thofc Ttxts, is bound to believe it. 2. But that God who hath not made it of fieceffi1y to falvation to undcrlland many hundred plain– er Texts, nor abfolurely· to underlhnd more than the Articles and fundamc:ntals of our Religion h.ath much lefs made it neceffary ro falvation to underfiand the darkefi Prophecies. ' 3· And thlt as th,e fufpicion fhould make all Chrifiians CiUtelous, what they receive from Romt fo. the ob(curity thould meke all Cbrillians take heed, rhat they draw from it no confequences dellru: ~hve to Love or order, or any truth, or Chrifiian dury. And this is the advice I give to all. ~gggg z: Q!eft,
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