8z VERSE I. askEPO 48. to.7. de isni tat.Ccclef: 06. TheStabilityofChrifts ingdome. jpamerawalamasomft the Prophets expreffe Chria and his kingdomby the name ofa Branch, which groweth up for a flandard and enfigne of the people, Efay x z. i . io. Zech.3 . 8.' A branch which grovves, but never withers. It hath no principles ofdeath in it felfe;and though it be for a while fubjeol to thea ffaults ofact ve rfaries,and forren violence; yet that ferves onely to the it, and to fettle it, but not to weaken or overturne it The gates of hell, all the powers, policies, and lawes ofdarkneffe, (hall never prevaileagaina the Church of Chrifl : he hath bruized, and judged, and troddendowne Satan under our feet. He hathovercome the world; hebath fubdued iniqui- tie, hee hath turned perfecutions into feminaries and re- furreeions of the Church; hebath turned afflietions in.. co matters of glory and of rejoycing ; fo that in all the violence which the Church can tuffer, it doth more than conquer, becaufe it conquers not by repelling but by fuf- feting. And this {heaves the facrilege and fawcineffe ofthe Churchof Rome, which in this point doth with a dou ble impiety therefore pervert the Scriptures , that it may derogate from the honour of Chrifl an his king- dome : And thole things which are fpokenoftl fallibility,authority,and fulneffeofpower which Chrifl bath in his body, of the flability,conflancie, anduniver- falitie ofhis Church upon earth, doth arrogate onely to the Pope and his See at Rome.As the Donatifis inSaki- gafliaes time from that place ofthe Spoufe in the Can. ticks, Tell me, 0 thou whommy ionic loveth, where thou feedefi, where thou makefl thy flocke to retlin )I4eridie, excluded all the world from being a Church, lave onely a cornerof,Africa which was at that time the neaofchore hornets: So.becaufe Chria fayes, his Church is kilt up®» a rocke, and thegates of hell fhali not prevaileagainft it ; therefore the Romanifls from hence conclude allthekpriviledgestobelong to them, andex- chide
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=