A vindication of the Animadversions on Fiat lux

Of old the Head of the Church was the humane nature of Christ delegate under God; now that is removed, and another person in the same nature is so delegated unto the same office. Now this is not an Head under Christ, but in distinction from him in the same place wherein he was, and so exclusive of him, which must needs be Antichrist, one pretending to be in his room and place to his exclusion, that is, one set up against him. And thus also what you seek to avoid doth inevitably follow upon your discourse, namely that you would have the Church for the preservation of its oneness and sameness, to have the same head she had, which is not the same, unless you will say that the Pope is Christ: these are the Principles that you proceed upon. First, you tell us, that the humane nature of Christ delegate under God was the visible Head of the Church; Secondly, That this nature is now removed from us and ceaseth so to be, that is, not only to be visible, but the visible Head of the Church, and is no more so, then the present Church is made up of the same individual members as it was in the days of his flesh, which, as you well observe, it is not. Thirdly, That a nature of the same kind in another Person is now delegate under God to the same office of a ⟨p. 379⟩Visible Head, with that power of external Government which Christ had whilst he was that head. And is it not plain from hence, that you exclude the Lord Christ from being that head of his Church which he was in former days? and substituting another in his room and place, you at once depose him, and assign another head unto the Church, and that in your attempt to prove that her head must still be the same, or she cannot be so. Farther, the humane nature of Christ was personally united unto the Son of God: and if that Head which you now fancy the Church to have, be not so united, it is not the same Head that that was: and so whilst you seek to establish not indeed a sameness in the Head of the Church, but a likeness in several Heads of it as to visibility, you evidently assert a change in the nature of that Head of the Church which we enquire after. In a word, Christ and the Pope are not the same;

Of old the Head of the Church was the humane nature of Christ delegate under God; now that is removed, and another person in the same nature is so delegated unto the same office. Now this is not an Head under Christ, but in distinction from him in the same place wherein he was, and so exclusive of him, which must needs be Antichrist, one pretending to be in his room and place to his exclusion, that is, one set up against him. And thus also what you seek to avoid doth inevitably follow upon your discourse, namely that you would have the Church for the preservation of its oneness and sameness, to have the same head she had, which is not the same, unless you will say that the Pope is Christ: these are the Principles that you proceed upon. First, you tell us, that the humane nature of Christ delegate under God was the visible Head of the Church; Secondly, That this nature is now removed from us and ceaseth so to be, that is, not only to be visible, but the visible Head of the Church, and is no more so, then the present Church is made up of the same individual members as it was in the dayes of his flesh, which, as you well observe, it is not. Thirdly, That a nature of the same kind in another Person is now delegate under God to the same office of a