The true nature of a Gospel church and its government

3. LEAST of all in the ordinary state of the Church, and the continuation thereof hath the Lord Christ appointed a Vicar, or rather as is pretended a Successor, with a plenitude of all Church Power, to be by him parcelled out unto others. This is that which hath overthrown all Church Rule and Order, introducing Luciferian Pride and Antichristian Tyranny in their room. And whereas the only way of Christs acting his Authority over the Churches, and of communicating Authority unto them, to be acted by them in his Name, is by his Word and Spirit, which he hath given to continue in his Church unto that end unto the consummation of all things, the Pope of Rome placing himself in his stead for these ends, doth thereby sit in the Temple of God, and show himself to be God. But this is sufficiently ⟨p. 32⟩[…] ⟨p. 33⟩[…] ⟨p. 34⟩confuted among all sober Christians; and those who embrace it, may be left to contend with the Mahometans, who affirm, that Jesus left John the Baptist to be his Successor, as Haly succeeded unto Mahomet.

3. LEAST of all in the ordinary state of the Church, and the continuation thereof hath the Lord Christ appointed a Vicar, or rather as is pretended a Successor, with a plenitude of all Church Power, to be by him parcelled out unto others. This is that which hath overthrown all Church Rule and Order, introducing Luciferian Pride and Antichristian Tyranny in their room. And whereas the only way of Christs acting his Authority over the Churches, and of communicating Authority unto them, to be acted by them in his Name, is by his Word and Spirit, which he hath given to continue in his Church unto that end unto the consummation of all things, the Pope of Rome placing himself in his stead for these ends, doth thereby sit in the Temple of God, and shew himself to be God. But this is sufficiently ⟨p. 32⟩〈…〉 ⟨p. 33⟩〈…〉