his Vicar upon Earth; for then he must have named it. Yet after all it occurs juft now to my Mind, that St Paul wrote a long Epistle to the Romans, and in the 1. chap. v. 7. he falutes them thus. To all, that be at Rome, beloved of God.Which I think may be call'd Naming the Church of Rome. But that's a trivial Slip amongst Friends; fo let it pass.

»G. The Scriptures are wholly filent concerning » the fuppofed Universal Supremacy of St Peter, or » that he was at Rome, or Bishop of Rome. Some » After-writers have mention'd it. But that is far » from fuch an Universal Tradition, as is fufficient for the mighty Superftructure, which is raifed upon it. But let it be granted, it fignifies Nothing. ❤ pag. 4.

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L. It really fignifies Nothing to raise Doubts about Things as certainly known and believed as that there has been such a Man as Julius Cafar. Grotin a learned Proteftant Writer was not afraid to fay, that no Chriftian ever doubted but St Peter was at Rome. In Sinopfi Criticorum. pag. 1540.

upon

However whether he was at Rome, or was Bishop of it, or not, tho the Thing be unquestionable, 'tis a Miftake to fay, that any weighty Superstructure is built that hiftorical Fact. For all we pretend to maintain as Effential to the Point in Queftion, is, that St Peter was conftituted by Chrift Head and Ruler of his Church, and that when he died, the Church appointed him a Succeffor in that high Station, and has ever fince done the fame upon the Demife of every Pope; and finally, that all the Succeffors of St Peter have had their Epifcopal Sear at Rome, But as to what you fay, that the Scriptures are filent concerning the Supremacy of St Peter, this indeed deferves a more ferious Confideration.

» G. All is grounded upon fome Words faid to

St Peter; as fuch. Thou art Peter, feed my Sheep, &c. « Which cannot be ftrain'd to fuch an Universal « Supremacy, as Popes have claim'd: nor were fo un- « derstood in the Primitive Church. pag. 4. 5. “

L. We shall examine that prefently. But you are flinking away from the Queftion, which is not what Power fome Popes may perhaps have claim'd, but what our Saviour gave to St Peter and his Succeffors in the two Texts, you have minced, as if you were afraid to fpeak out.

G. In the learned Monfieur du Pin, Traité de ce La Puiffance Ecclefiaftique & Temporelle, printed at « Paris An. 1707. pag. 495. to p, so1. and pag. 754. « to p. 765. your Lordship will find thefe two Texts « urged for the Supremacy of St Peter, and answer'd « in the fame Manner as is done by Proteftant Wri- « ters; and it is shew'd how very foreign they are « from the purpofe intended. pag. 5. «

L. Sr, Monfieur du Pin no where denies the Pope's Supremacy in Spirituals, but only in Temporals; of which he maintains thofe Texts to be no Proof. But let us now proceed to examine the true Meaning of them. I shall begin with that of St Mathew

16. Y. 18.

D. 3.

The Text of St Mathew 16., 18. examined.

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T is as follows. And I fay also unto thee, thou art Peter and this Rock I will build upon Church, and the Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it.

I know the common Anfwer to this Text is, that by the Rock is meant St Peter's Faith, and not his Perlon, But tho the former interpretation be true, it is far from being the only one or excluding St Pe ser's Perfan. Nay the Application of it to his Perfon

is the most obvious and natural; as is manifeft from St Jerom's Remark upon the fecond Chapter to the Galatians; where he obferves that both the Greek Word Petros, and the Hebrew Cephas fignifies the fame as the Latin Word Petra, that is, a Rock: and by Confequence the true Meaning of our Saviour's Words to St Peter is this: thou art a Rock, and upon this Rock, I will build my Church. Suppose then our Saviour had spoken thus in English to St Peter; thou art a Rock, and upon this Rock I will build my Church: could there be any Doubt, whether his Words were addrefs'd to St Peter's Perfon?

G. My Lord, you interrupted me, when I fpoke laft; for I was juft Going to tell you, that the Rock, upon which Chrift faid he would build his » Church, was not Peter, but the Faith, which Peter » then confefs'd. Your Lordship may fee the cur>> rent Sense of the Fathers, and confult at your Lei» fure. St Austin de Verbo Domini, Ser. 13. Nazian » de Veteri Teft. St Cyril de Trin. L. 4. St Chryfoft. Hom. 55. in Math. St Ambrofe Comment. in Eph. 2. Hilary de Trin. L. 2. C. 6. and others. pag. 5.

L. Sr, you may quote as many Fathers as you pleafe, and they shall fay as often as you please, that the Rock, upon which Chrift promised to build his Church, was St Peter's Faith. But can they not explain the Text in one Senfe whitout excluding the other? This, Sr, is the real Cafe. For they apply'd it just as their Subject lead them, fometimes to his Faith, and fometimes to his Perfon; as will appear from the following Quotation, in which it is applied to his Perfon only.

Origen in Exod. Hom. 5. writes thus. Hear what is faid, to the great Foundation of the Church, and to the folid Rock, upon which Chrift built his Church,o Man of little Faith, why haft thou doubted!

Tertullian puts this Queftion. Was any Thing conseal'd from Peter, who was call'd the Rock of the Foundation of the Church? L. de Præfcrip. C. 32.

St Cyprian Epift. 71. Peter, whom our Lord Chofe the frft, and ON WHOM he built his Church. He repeats the fame Expreffion L. de bono patientia. And L. de Difciplina, & habitu Virginum he writes thus. Peter, to whom our Lord recommends the Care of his Sheep, and UPON WHOM he built and founded his Church.

But St Jerom's Words (in Cap. 16. Math. Tom. 6. Edit, Parif. Vet. pag. 73.) are very remarkable. To Simon (fays he) who believed in Christ the Rock, he gave the Name of Peter, and according to the Metaphor of the Rock, IT IS PROPERLY SAID TO HIM, ON, THEE I WILL BUILD MY CHURCH.

St Austin likewise who is the very first of the Fathers you refer'd me to fpeaks as plainly as the former for St Peter's Perfon. Count (fays he) the Priests even in St Peter's See: obferve the Succeffion in that Rank of Fathers, that is the Rock, which the proud Gates of Hell do not overcome. Aug. in Pfal. contra partem Donati. And again in Pfal. 69. §. 4. he writes thus. Peter, the Chief of the Apostles, Door-keeper of Heaven; Peter, who for his Confeffion was named the Rock, ON WHом the Church was to be built.

Me thinks, Sr, the Current of Antiquity begins to run fomewhat favourably for St Peter's Perjon. But, fince one good Turn deferves another, as you fent me to rummage amongst old Books, I shall return your Favour with intereft, and defire you li. kewife to confult at your Leifure the Fathers quoted by the Author of the Church of Chrift shew'd, c. 3. Part. Chap. 2. §. 3. where, befides thofe already quoted, you will find above double the Number of thofe, you referr'd me to, who all apply the Text

§. 3. of St Mathew to St Peter's Perfon. For the Question between you and me is not, whether fome of them have applied that Text to St Peter's Faith, which no Body denies; but whether they positively exclude his Perfon? And the Paffages you will be referr'd to by the foremention'd Author, will convince you, they have not.

G. I hope your Lordship will not deny, that St Cyril of Alex. pofitively excludes his Perfon. L. Sr, I shall make bold to deny it.

G. Do's he not fay expresfly Dial. 4. de Trin. that Chrift gave the Name of the Rock to nothing else but the conftant and unshaken Faith of the Difciple?

L He do's fo. But unless you will make him contradict himself, his Meaning can be no other, than that St Peter merited that Title by nothing else but his Faith. Pray, Sr, do's not St Jerom, Epift. 61. ad Pammachium. Tom. 2. p. 254. fay as expressly, that it was not St Peter's Body, but his Faith, that walk'd upon the Water. Super aguas non Corpus Petri ambulaffe fed fidem. And will you conclude from then-. that it was St Ferom's Opinion, that St Peter's Body or Perfon did not walk upon the Waters?

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But nothing can be fairer than to let St Cyril fpeak for himself: For furely he understood his own Meaning beft. His Words (L. 2. in Joh. Ed. Par. an. 1638. Tom. 4. p. 131.) are thefe. He (Chrift) foretold he should no more be call'd Simon, but Peter. Signifying by that word moft Properly, that he intended to build kis Church UPON HIM, as upon a most firm and folid Rock. Now, Sr, you cannot fave him from manifeftly contradicting himself, unless you join with me in Saying, that St Peter, according to this Father, merited the Title (which Chrift beftow'd upon him) by his Faith alone, and received it in his PerSon.

G. But,