//-> '1^7 I ALUMNI LIBRARY, | | THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY, f # § * PRINCETON, N. J. || ##^/ (JdSe f Division 8 Shelf, Section.. Book > No....... — - a sec V. 2- ^3 . . X: £ < my C7] my to Chriflianity at Samaria ; and therefore was not yet to be revealed. And as to his Conflict with St. Peter at Rome, and many of the Doctor's Stories about the Gnoflics, they feem to be built upon too fandy a Foun- dation, to deferve any great Regard. Dr. Whitby and Mr. Le-Clerc have abundantly confuted that Interpretation. Grotiuss introducing Simon Magus, Ver. 8, 9. is as groundlefs, for the Apostle doth there evidently continue to fpeak of the fame Perfon, that he had began with, Ver. 3, 4. and if Grotius faw that the whole Prophe/y could not agree either to Caligula, or to Si- mon Magus and his deluded Followers, I think he ought, in his Interpretation, to have have referred no Part of it to either of them. (3.) a Others would have the unbelieving Jews, who perfecuted the Chri/iians before the Deftru&ion of Jerufalew, and made many of them apojlatize to Judaifm, to be the Man of Sin, &c. But this Interpretation appears to me to be not well grounded. For the unbelieving Jews, tho' they did, indeed, perfecute the Chri/lians; yet they were not united under any one eminent Head, or Leader. They were never able to exalt themfelves above all, that is called a God, or an Emperor, i. e. above all the Kings and Potentates upon Earth. Nor had they, after 2 See Mr. La-Rube's new Memoirs of Literature, for Sept- 1726. B 2 this [8] this Time, any one Perfon among them, Who fate in the temple of God, (hewing and manifefling himfelf to be a God, or to be poffeffed of the Power of a King, or tem- poral Monarch. Nor doth St. Paul appear to me to be by any Means he that letted, Ver. 6. 7. for the unbelieving Jews perfecuted the Chrijlians after his Converfion, as well as before it ; nor could he prevent the Apojiafy of the Jewifo Chrijlians by labouring (as he gene- rally did) among the Gentile Churches. Befides, in the Prophefy of St. Paul, the Apojiafy was (in a great Degree, at leaft,) to precede the Revelation of the Man of Sin-, whereas, the perfecuting antichrijiian Spirit of the unbelieving Jews was revealed, or manifefted, before the Apojiafy of the Jewijh Chrijlians. And, finally, 'tis a grand Objection with me againft that Interpretation, that by the Man of Sins appearing, and being revealed, is underftood his Terijhing and Dejlruftion. In as much as St. Paul hath clearly diftin- guifhed his Coming, and the Continuance of his Power, from the Punifhment and Per- dition which would be, at laft, inflicted on him by the Lord. (4.) cc Others, again, would have the anbe- li lievingjfews, who revolted from the Romans, <( together with the Jewijl? Converts, who apof- * c tatized from the Chrijlians to the Jewifli Re- u ligicn, to be the Perfons here prophefied of." Whereas, [p] Whereas, what the Apostle is here fpeak- ing of, was an Apojlaj'y from the true Reli- gion. For fo the Word a a-rrosaa-ia fignifieth in other Places of the New Tejlament: And what will lead us to underftand it fo, in this Place, is, that it was to be carried on by " mam Mi- a racles, and all the Deceivablenefs of Un- €( righteoufnefs; and mould prevail only among and the Jewifo Chrijlia?is> who did apojiatize y had no eminent Head or Leader, that deferved the Name of the Man of Sin y Sec. Dr. Whitb)\ who is the mod confiderable Advocate for this Interpretation, plays between the two ; and brings in the un- believing "Jews revolting from the Romans^ or the Jewi/Jj Chrijliam falling away from Chriflianity -, juft as may bed help him out in his Hypothecs. But the Prophefy itfelf is uni- form, and defcribes one Sort of ApoJlaj) y quite throughout. (5.) As Mahomet himfelf did never profefs the Chriflian Religion, he could not be called an Apojlate. However, as he made many Chrijliam to apojiatize, and built his Religion partly upon the Ruin and Corruption of Chrijlianity, he might (in fome Senfe) be faid to fit in the Temple of God. He like- wife (tho' he pretended to be an extraordi_ ' .VV xxi, 21. 1 Tim. iv 1, Hctv fci. 12 nary [ IO] nary Prophet) fhewed himfelf to be in Rea- lity no Prophet, but a temporal Prince ; and he arofe after the Downfal of the Roman Empire. Which I take to have been the (to xcClt%cv) that which hindered the Appear- ance of the Man of Sin. All this may be faid in Favour of them who underftand this as a Prophefy of Mahomet. But then (i.) Suppofe that St. John and St. Paul pro- phefied of the fame Thirg (as I think they did) 'tis evident that Rome mull be the Seat of the grand Impojlor. For Rev. xvii. 9, 18. the City, which flood upon feven Hills, and then reigned over the Kings of the Earth, was to be the Seat of this tyrannical Power. (2.) 'Tis a fufficient Argument a- gainft applying this Prophefy to Mahomet, that this wicked one was to come after the Working of Satan, with all Power and Signs and lying Wonders, /. e. with great Preten- iions to Miracles. Whereas Mahomet did not pretend to eflablifh himfelf and his Impojiure by Miracles. For, tho' feveral Miracles are afcribed to him, by the fabulous and legen- dary Writers among the Mahometans ; yec their learned Men renounce them all. a Nor doth Mahomet himfelf, in the Koran, lay any Claim to them. (6.) Tho' Rome Heathen oppofed Chriftia- nity very much, and the Emperors exalted themfelves above all the Kings and Princes * See Dr. Pridenux's Life of Mahmet, p. 31. and Mr. Sale's Transition of Al Koran, p. 203, 236, 473. upon- C » ] upon the Earth; yet this their Exaltation was not a Thing then to be revealed. Nei- ther did they apojlatize from Chriftianity, nor fit in the "Temple of God, nor pretend to eftablifh their power by Miracles. (7.) The Papifts, in their Annotations on the Rhemijh New Teftament, interpret this Apoflafy to be ll guifed it with new Names and different Pre- teniions. Inftead of the Chrijlian Doclrine, they have apoftatized from the Faith, and in many Coun- tries taken from the common People the Li- berty of reading the Scriptures in their Mother Tongue; that they might, with the more Eafe, propagate their own Deluiions. For, having in a forcible and violent Man- ner, reftrained the Liberty of private Judgment, they have with lefs Difficulty fubftituted, in- ftead of the mofl excellent Doclrine of the Go/pel^ their own Articles of Faith, and the forged Traditions and lying Legends of their Church. And not content barely to propagate Ig- norance, they have dared mofl impudently to commend it, and called it the Mother of Devotion. Their incouraging the Apofiafy in PracJice, will be taken Notice of in the Sentences thac immediately follow. This grand Apostasy was to proceed gradually to its Height. But when it came to iuch a Pitch; then was to be revealed one, who fhould defervedly be called, the Man of Sin, and Son of Perdition. That this Phrafe may denote a Succeffion of Perfons one after another, tho' but one at a Time, may appear from Deut. xvii. 14 20. where that Phrafe, the King of IJrael, mull be underflood, not of one King only, but of a Succeffion of Kings ; and from a feveral Texts, where the Jeivifo High-Priejl is fpoken of as onePerfon,tho' anyone in that Succeffion of High- Prie/is is thereby intended. And to whom can a Lev. xxi. 10. Numb. xxxv. 25, 28. Jofh. xx 6. Hcb. ix. 7. C the [ 1+] the Title of the Man of Sin fo properly belong* as to the Succeffion of the Bijhops of Rome, for* many paft Centuries ? There have been among them, not only fome of the vileft of Mankind, notorious for their Cruelty, Infidelity, Debauch- ery, Simony, and all Manner of Wickednefs. But by their * Indulgences, Pardons, and Difpenfa- tions, a which they claim a Power from Christ of granting ; and which they have fold in fo infamous b a Manner, they have incouraged all Manner of vile and wicked Practices. Inftead of fhewing Men the Neceffity of fincere Re- pentance, unfeigned Faith, and an holy Life and Converfation -, they have contrived number- lefs Methods to render an holy Life entirely needlefs ; to indulge Men in the greateft and mod abominable Vices, and yet afiiire them of Heaven; even without a thorough Re- pentance, provided they will fufficiently pay them for their Admiflion. The Form of Indulgences, b a little before the Reformation, was fo ample, that rich Men were a See the late Popifh Catechifm, c. x. b Mr. Bayle (in his Diclionary, under the Article Banck, Laurence) hath given us the Hiftory of a remarkable Book, called, The Taxes of the Romijb Chancery: In which there is a very particular Account how much Money was to be paid into the dpojiolic, or Pope's Chamber, for almoft all Sorts of Vices. Ex. gr. " He who had been guilty of •« Inceft with his Mother, Sifter, or other Relation, either in Con* ** fanguinity, or Affinity, is taxed at V. Gros. The Abfolution of " him who has defloured a Virgin, VI. Gros. * The Abfolution «« of him who has murdered his Father, Mother, Sifter, Wife, « V. or VII. Gros. «« The Abfolution and Pardon of all Acts of Fornication com- " mitted by any of the Clergy, in what Manner foever, whether it « c be with a Nun, within or without the Limits of the Nunnery; " or with his Relations in Confanguinity, or Affinity, or with his " God- Daughter, or with any other Womaij wnatfoever ; and «' whether ['5 1 were unconcerned, what Sins they committed, as knowing that they could, living or dead, purchafe a Pardon. For fuppofe they negle&ed it in their Life-Time, it was but leaving fo much Money by Will, at their Death, for Maffes and C 2 InduU " whether alfo the faid Abfolution be given in the Name only of " the Clergyman himfelf, or of him jointly with his Whores, with a " Difpenfation to inable him to take and hold his Orders and eccle- " fiaflical Benefices, and with a Claufe alio of Inhibition, colls " 36 Tourmis, and 9, or 3 Ducats. " And if, befides the above, lie receives Abfolution from Sodo- " my, or Beftiality, with the Difpenfation and Claufe of Inhibi- " tion, as before, he mull pay 90 Touruois, 12 Ducats, and 6 " Car I ins. " But if he only receives Abfolution from Sodomy, or Beftiality, " with the Difpenfation, or Clau e of Inhibition, he pays only M 36 Tournois^ and 9 Ducats. A %in, having committed Fornica- " tion feveral Times, within and without the Bounds of the Nun- '' nery, mall be abfolved, and inablcd to hold all the Dignities of " her Order, even that of Aibefs, by paying 36 Toumois, and 9 " Ducats. •* The Abfolution of him who keeps a Concubine, with Dif- " penlation to take and hold his Orders, and Ecclefiaftica] Benefi- " ces, cofls 21 Touruois, 5 Ducats, and 6 Car/ins."" This is a Tranflation of the very Words of the Book itfelf. On- ly the firft Articles to the * are wanting in one Edition. However, even thefe Articles alfo, are in the mod perfect and correcl Editions. This Book has been feveral Times printed both in Popijb and Proteftani Countries; and the Proteftant Princes inferted it among the Caufes of their rejecting the Council of Trent. When the Pa- fifts law what Ufe the Proteftants made of it, they put it into the Lift of prohibited Books. But then they condemned it only upon the Suppofition of its having been corrupted by (the Proteftants, or) Heretics. But let them fuppofe as much as they pleafe, that it hai been corrupted by Heretics ; the Editions of it which have been publifhed in Popijb Countries, and which the P.ipi/is can't dilbwn, as that of Rome, 1514- That of Co/agn, 1 51 5. Thofe of Paris 1 520, 1 545» and 1625. And thofe of Ft nice, one in the Vlth Vol. of the Oceanus Juris, publifhed 1533. the other in the XVth Vol. of the fame Collection, reprinted 1584. Thefe Editions, I fay, are more than fufficient to juilify the Reproaches of the Proteftants, and to cover the Church of Rome with Confufion. The Popijb Controvertifts, who have not a Word to fay aga^nft the Authority of the Edition of Romf } or that of Paris, Sec. arc under C "J] Indulgences, and they were affured that all would be forgiven them. Can fuch notorious Wickednefs always efcape without an eminent Perdition ? How juftly may prefent Rome, for her Per- fection, Idolatry, and notorious Wickednefs, be deemed a myfticai Babylon^ and be (fpiritually, or figuratively^ called a Sodom and Egypt (where Wickednefs hath rifen to an amazing Height, and the People of God have been under a long and cruel BondageJ and the Mother a of Forni- cations and of the Abominations of the Earth ? V. 4. If rightly tranflated would (I thinkj have run thus, " Who oppofes himfelf, i. e* " to Christ, and exalts himfelf above every " one that is called a God, or (even) the Impe- " rial Dignity, fo that he, as a God, fits b [in- lander great Perplexity. However, lince the Proteftants have made fo great an Handle of this Book, the Papifts pretend, that (the' Tome of the Popes have been guilty of fuch infamous Practices, and ibfFered fuch Books to appear ; yet) the Church of Rome in general abhors them. But fhe has never fhewn, by the Suppreffion of thefe Taxes, that fhe has had them in Abhorrence. They have been printed (as has been already obferv'd) thrice at Paris, twice at Cologn, and twice at Venice. And fome of thefe Editions have been publifiYd fince Claude d'Efpence, a Popijb Dr. exclaimed publickly againft the Enor- mities of this Book. The Inquifition of Spain, and that of Rome have condemned the Book, only as they fuppofe it to have been corrupted by Heretics. I mull add, in the fecond Place, that the Suppreffion of fuch a Work is not a fure Sign of difapproving the Rules it con- tains. This may only fignify that they repented of the publication of it, as it gave fo fair an Handle for the Here- tics to reproach the Court of Rome, and to wound the Churc\ of Rome $ thro' the Sides of the Pope. Thefe ought to be efteemed Myft tries of State, Arcana Imperii, not fit to be divulged. a Rev. xi. 8. and xvii. 5. b K&8/- *■«/, fo the Word figni£es, Rev. xvii. i, without the Article, doth often fignify a God; and here 'tis evidently op- pofed to o ©e@>, the God, or the Gne true God, in whofe Temple this Man of Sin was to fit. So Pfalrn Ixxxii. 6, 7. " I have faid ye are gods 3 and all of you are children of the mofl high: but ye fhall die like men, and fall like one of the pri?ices! y And Verfe 1. of that Pfalm 2 " God ftandeth in the congregation of the " mighty, he judges among the gods" e . But as Si€a<7(j.a feems plainly to be an Alluii- on to SsCa?©* the Greek Name of the Cafars^ or Roman Emperors ; 'tis pofllble that the Apostle might, in both thePhrafes, refer to tBe a Dan. vii. 15. b Rev. xi. 7, £. c Ibid, xiii 4 7. * Ibid. xvii. 6. e See alfo Esek. xxviii, 2, 6, 9. Johnx. 34, 35. 1 Cor. vi:i. 5. Roman C 19] . Roma\ Emperors; who, after their Deaths, were fir oft of them y > inroll'd among the Gods. Nay, Cat us y before his Death, laid Claim to Divini- ty, and would nee. :kuowledged andwor- fhiped as a God. That by the Temple cf God, where this Im- pc/icr wai r o fix his Seat, may be underftood trie Chrijhin Churchy will appear, if it be con- fidered that the Chrijllan Church, is, in the New Te;tame?i>, often called the Temple of God, a or compared to the Temple, And in this Temple 'tis prophefied, that the Man of Sin would exalc himfelf above all temporal Magiflrates y Kings, and Emperors. And 'tis very eafy to point out the Accomplimment of this Parr of the Pro- phefy -, for how proudly hath the Bijhop of Rome thu? exalted himfelf, and been filled, by his Flatterers and vile Dependants, a b God, who ought not to be called to an Account; the fu- preme Deiry on Earth, King of Kings, and Lord of Lords, by whom Princes reign, and upon whom the Right of Kings depends? Nay, the Gloffator upon the Canon haw hath given him the high and blafphemous Title, of Lord God the Pope. And the Popes have acred accordingly, abfolving Subjects from their Allegiance to their lawful Princes, fomenting and raifing Rebellions, depofing or murdering rightful Princes, and fetting up others in their Stead. With what Pride and Haughtinefs have they called Emperors their Vaffals ? and even obliged fome of them to hold the Bridle till a 1 C">r. iii. 16, 17. 2 Cor. vi. 16. Eph. ii. 20, 21, 22. 1 THm. iii. 15. Hcb. iii. 6. 1. Pet. ii. 5, 6, 7. Rev. iii. 12. b Vid. Canon. Diftind. 96. c. fatis evidentia. X the [ 20 ] the Pope has mounted his Horfe : Or to bear up his Train after him, when his Holinefs has been pleated to walk in a pompous Proceffion ? Nay, with what amazing Iniblence have the Romtfh Priejls whipt Kings and fovereign Princes, and the Pope has even fet his Foot upon an Emperor s Neck ? He has claimed the fole Right of no- minating, inverting, or confirming the Princes and Rulers of the Earth. If this be not a to exalt himfelf above all that is called a God, or an Emperor ; there can be no Event, to anfwer this, or any Prophefy what- foever. I think SsSWpca was defigned to refer to the Roman Emperor. But if we underftand it fas fome do) of Objects of, or Things pertaining to Religious Worfkip : • The Prophefy is ftill accomplished. For doth not the Bijhop of Rome claim the fole Power of ordaining Sacra- ments, confecrating Altars and Images, cano- nizing Saints, and appointing what Sort of re- ligious Worjhip {hall be paid ; as well as to whom ? Otherwife, how comes it to pafs, tha«t the Virgin Mary is more frequently invoked than the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ? Is not this, moft evidently, a religi- gious Tyranny founded in, and ftill fupported by the Pretence of Religion? Other Potentates have lometimes called in Religion for a Pretence, and laid afide that Pretence, when their Pur- pofe has been ferved; but no Tyranny y befides this, hath been intirely founded in, and all along carried on, merely by a Pretence to Re- a In this Expreflion there feems to be an evident Allufion to Dan. xi. 36, ligion* [ 21 ] ligion. And how exactly has the Apostle prophefyed of this? when he foretold, that he would Jit in the 'Temple of God (not a God, or temporal Potentate ; but) as a God, i. e. under another, a religious Pretence \ he would lay Claim to the Power of a temporal Monarchy (in ordine ad fpiritualia) under the Pretence of being the Head of the Catbolick Church, and having all fpiritual Power, he would thus exalt himfelf. And, I need not fay, that under this Colour, the BiJl:op of Rome has claimed a moft exorbitant Power, and that herein this his King- dom is dwerfe from all Kingdoms. For other Princes rule in their own Dominions, by their temporal Power. But, under the Notion of fpiritual Power, the Pope claims Obedience in Kingdoms and Countries, where a foreign temporal Prince could have no Claim. So thac tho' he does not directly pretend to be a God y or a temporal Prince , yet he mows himfelf to be one; and hath often been, in Reality, pof- feffed of equal, or greater Power. ^From our faying, that " by the Temple of "God, in this Prophefy, is meant the Chrijlian Dr. HUNTs SER MON CONCERNING PENANCE, &c. m fi [Price Six-Pence] i The fources of corrupting both Natural and Revealed Religion, exemplified in the Ro- mifh dodtrinc of Penance and Pil- grimages. A SERMON Preached at SALTERS-HALL, February 27, 1734-5. By JEREMIAH HUN?, D.D. L O N 2) O N: Printed for T. Cox. at the Lamb, under the Royal-Excbang* Ai dcc xxxv. Mark vi. 12. And they went cut, and preach 'd that men fliould repe?it. HE defign or view of the principles both of natural and reveal'd religion is to bring us to the fteddy and conftant practice of fin- cere piety and real virtue. Under thefe are comprehended a due regulation of the propenfities we find in our make to plea- fures of fenfe, intereft and honour ; by the practice of fobriety , temperance 9 purity, moderation, and humility: a pro- per government of the paffions , and particularly of fear, by a rational cou- rage , and a well-diredted fortitude of mind ; and of undue refentment and anger, by mceknefs and long-fuffering : a uniform and fteddy care not to in- fringe [«] fringe any of the rights of others , of which a liberty to judge for ones felf in matters of religion, which is unalien- able, is not of the leafl importance: a fincere and undiffembled love of man- kind , attended with all the proper in- fiances of goodncfs, whereby their mife- ries may be leffen'd, and their true hap- pinefs promoted : finally , a fupreme love of the one true and living God, to whom all conceivable perfections be- long , and whofe goodnefs is diffus'd through all the works of his hands ; a due fear and reverence of him ; a care- ful and conflant imitation of thofe per- fections, which are capable of being tran- fcribed by us into temper and life ; a fervent and fteddy addreffing our pray- ers and praifes to him; a conflant re- gard to him, by taking him into our view, efpecially when we form any im- portant defigns, refering all events to his difpofal, fubmiting in every thing to his will , exprefling ever an unfhaken dependance upon him , and whenever we deviate in the leafl from any of his commands, returning without delay to our duty. Thejfteddy and perfevering practice of all thefe virtues is the great and ulti- mate [7 ] mate defign of the principles of truth, which reafon, duly cultivated, without the affiftance of revelation, is capable of difcovering. And without fuch a pra- ctice, a profeiuon of the cleared: and moft indifputable truths of natural religion, namely, the exiftence of God, the per- fections which are to be afcribed to him, his providence, the difference of actions, and a future ftate, will be of no fignifi- cancy to our true happinefs. To the fame end are revealed truths directed, as means , and motives 3 and without attaining that end are alike infignificant. Hence it is that the patri- archs, to whom God expreffed particular and diftinguifli'd favours, are defcrib'd as walking with God> pleajing him, and being righteous in their gejieration. And on that account their worihip and facrifices were accepted, and for the failure thereof Cain and his offering were rejected. When God fet up a polity among the Jews to fecure them from idolatry, and the vices which attended it, and for that purpofe wifely injoin'd numerous rircs; many of them paid fuch deference to the ritual and ceremonial laws, as to difre- gard the moral. To reclaim them God fent [ s] fcnt at feveral times prophets, who de- clared to them in his name, that their facrifices and oblations, their wafhings and purifications, their feafts and folemn afiemblies, their fafts and fevereft hu- miliations, were fo far from being ac- ceptable in his fight, if not accompanied with the pradlice of univerfal righteouf- nefs and charity; that on the contrary without thole virtues, thefe very rites, tho* of his own inftkution , were the greateft abomination in his fight. * To what purpofe is the multitude of your fa- crifices unto me? faith the Lord : I am full of the burnt -offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beajis ; and I delight not in the blood ■ of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he-goats. Wafli ye , make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before mi?ie eyes, ceafe to do evil , learn to do well, feek fudg?ncnt, relieve the op- preffed, judge the fathcrlefs, plead for the widow. Then, thd your fins be as fcarlet, they fall be as white as fnow ; tho they be red like crim/bn, they fall be as wool. And again : -f- Wherewith fall I come before the Lord, and bow my felf before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt - offerings , with calves of a year * KL ii, 16, 17, 18. f Mic.VL 6, 7, 8. old? [9] old? Will the Lord be pleas d with thou* fands of rams, or with ten tboufdnds of rivers of 'oil? Shall I give ?ny frjl-bo/ n for m\ tranfgrejjion % the fruit of my body for the fin of my foul'? He hath foewed thee, O man, what is goo J : and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do jujll\\ aud to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? When the kingdom of the MeJJiah ap- proach'd, John, his forerunner, was fent by God to preach and exhort his hearers to quit every courfe of vice, and ingage in the practice of every virtue, as the bed preparatory to eiKer into that kingdom, in which eternal and immutable righ- teoufnefs fhould be chiefly and ultimately recommended. Jefus, the Mefjiah, appears, and calls thole of his own nation to a change of heart and life ; 2rTures them, that their riglueoufnefs muft be fincere and in- to ward, exceeding that of the fcnbes and pharifees, or they (hould in no cafe enter into the kingdom of heaven; opens to them in the cleared and moft extenfivc manner the duties of fincere piety, and real virtue; and tells them, that whofo- ever would hear and practice them, he U would f to ] would * liken him to a wife man, who built his houfe upon a rock ; and the rain de- fce?ided, and the foods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that houfe, and it fell not, for it was founded upon a rock. On the contrary, fais he, Every one that heareth thefe fayings of mine , and doth them not, Jhall be likened to a foolifh man> which built his houfe upon the [and -, and the rain defended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that houfe, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. The fame doctrine was taught by the apoftles, who by him were equal- ly appointed to be the foundation, upon which the Chriftian church was built, •j- Jefus Chrifi himfelf being the chief cor- ner -flone. * The grace of God t fais St. Paul, that bringeth falvation to all men, hath appear d, teaching us, that de~ ?iying ungodlinefs , and worldly lufls , we Jlmild live foberly, right eoi fly, and godly in this prefent world. In this fenfe the phrafe found dotlrine is us'd, and the gofpel is caird % The dotlrine, which is according to godlinefs. II. But the practice of fincere piety and extenfive morality, becoming diffi- * Mat. VII. 24, 27. f Eph. II. 20. * Tit. II. IU (| 1 Tim. I. io« Tit. I, 9. % 1 Tim. VI, 3. cult, [ II ] cult, through the indulgence of irreglilai appetites, and inordinate affections, ma- ny ( too many, God knows ) in every age have contrived more eafy ways, and en- deavour'd to reconcile their criminal in- clinations and conduct with the expe- ctation of the favour of God, and of re- ceiving rewards from him. Give me leave to call thefe fubjlitutes ; fince they are put in the room of religious virtue, or real reformation and amendment. Now perfons in power obferving fuch bad diipofitions in the populace, made the beft ufe of them they could, to carry on their political views, and ambitious defigns. In the moil early times the characters of king and priefl were united in one perfon, but afterwards thofe of- fices were placed in different hands. And then princes thought it proper, when their views of ftate made it neceffary, to ufe the prieits as tools to promote their defigns ; and the priefts, by way of recompence for their fervices, gain'd unjuft and exorbitant powers ; while the people , who fhar'd in the corruption , looked on with no fmall fatisfaction. Thus the pure religion of nature be- came depraved. * Varro therefore , a * Vid. Aug. De Civit. Dei, /. w \ ,. 5, B 2 learned [ 12 ] learned Roman, diilinguillied the mythic and political from the natural religion taught by the philofophers, who recom- mended virtue , and the imitation of deitv, and on that account met with unkind and cruel treatment. Socrates for oppofmg eftablifTied corruptions had a cup of poifon put into his hand ; which made Plato, his fcholar, go into pruden- tials, and be upon the referve. The falfe prophets, who fprung up under the Mofaic inflitution, were led ]by the fame corrupt principles. Thus we are told by the facred hiflorian, that * The king of IJrael gathered the pro- phets together, about four hundred men , and faid unto them : Shall I go againfl Ramoth-gilead to battle, or fall I for- bear? And they faid, confulting rather the inclination of the king, than truth, Go up ; for the Lord fall deliver it into the hand of the king. And Jehofaphat laid: Is there not here a prophet of the Lord be fides, that we might inquire of him ? And the king of IJrael faid unto Jehcfa- phat : There is yet one man (Micaiah the Jon of Imlah) by whom we may inquire of the Lord - 5 but I hate him y for he doth not f i King?, XXII. 6, fcff. prG- [ 13 ] prophefy good concerning me, but evil. He however fent a meffenger to him, who when he came to Micaiah, addrefs'd him thus : Behold now, the words of the pro- phets declare good unto the king with one mouth ; let thy word, I pray thee, be like the word of one of them, and fpeak that which is good. And Micaiah /aid : As the Lord liveth, what the Lord faith unto ?ne, that will I fpeak. Which according- ly the prophet did. And what was the confequence ? T'hus faith the king: Put this fellow in the prifon, and feed him with bread of affltclion, and with water of affliction, until I come in peace again. And in like manner the prophet Ifaiah : * Now go, write it before them in a table , that this is a rebellious people, lying chil- dren, children that will not hear the law of the Lord-, which fay to the feers, fee not ; and to the prophets, prophefy not to us right things > /peak unto us frnooth things, prophefy deceits. A ftrong and lively defcription of the fource of reli- gious corruptions ! Again : -j- / have feen alfo in the prophets of yerufalem an horri- ble thing : they commit adultery , and walk in lies, they flrengthcn alfo the hands * If. XXX. 8, 9, io, f Jor. XXIII. 14. 16, 17. Jer. V. 3 T • of C 14] of evil-doer's, that none doth return from his wickednefs. Thus faith the Lord oj hoafts : Hearken not unto the words of the prophet s, that prophefy unto you, they make you vain. They fay flill unto them y who defpife me, the Lord hath faid ye [hall have peace ; and they fay unto every one, that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, no evil Jhall come upon thee. By thefe paflages, to which many others might be added of the fame nature, we may fee clearly, what gave rife under the difpenfation of the law to the corrupting the religion of God, and by what prin- ciples this w r as effected. Our Saviour cautions the people, who attended his inftructions , to * beware of falfe prophets; and fuppofing their ca- pacity of judging, lays down a rule to diftinguiili them. They come in Jheep's clothing, the drefs of the ancient pro- phets ; but inwardly they are ravenous wolves, led on by the lufts of power and interefl they are defirous of making a prey of you. Ye Jhall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thijlles ? The fame character of grievous wolves, Paul, the • Mat. VII. 15.] apoftle [ I5] apoftle of .the Gentiles, * gives of the falfe apoftles, and judaizing teachers: to whom alfo Peter, the apoftle of the cir- cumcifion, -f- probably refers. And iince the reprefentation of what the fcripture fais of thefe corrupters of Chriftianity, will afford us a clear and di- ftincl view of the fpring and motives of corrupting the religion of God, give me leave in a larger manner to attempt it. When the firft profeftbrs of the Chriftian dodtrine were expofed for the fake of it to many fufferings, occafion'd by the un- believing Jews, the falfe apoftles endea- vour'd, as an expedient to fave themfelves from perfecution, to mingle Judaifm and Chriftianity together. || As many, fais St. Paul, as make a fair Jheio in the fleft\ they cojijlrain you to be circumcisd, only Ifl. they fiould Juffer perfecution for the crofs of Chri/l. For neither they themjches, who are circumcisd, keep the law; but defire to have you circumcisd, that they may glorv in your fefj. That the expedient was effectual, appears from what he had laid before : %And I, brethren, if I yet preach circwncijion , then is the offence of the crofs ceafed. To gain favour with the * Arts XX. 29, 30. -| 2 Pet. 11. 1. |i Gal. VI. 12. 13. % Gal. V. 11. unbe- [ i6 3 unbelieving Gentiles,thefe falfe and deceit- ful workers taught the Chriftians, that it was lawful to eat things facrific'd to idols even in their temples. * / have a few things againft thee [the church oiPer- games] becaufe thou haft there them that hold the doc~lrine of Balaam^ who taught Balac to caft a ftumbling block before the children of Ifrael, to eat things facrificed to idols. From the fame intention of in- gratiating themfelves with the enemies of Chriftianity, they introdue'd worfhip- ing of angels, -f- Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility ', and worfhiping of aiigels ; intruding into thofe things^ which he hath not jeen, vainly - puft up in hisftejhly mind. || And from the fame motive they denied the refurrection - y and colour'd over this their error, by faying : That J the refurredlion was paft already. And to ftrengthen farther their intereft, they took the part, which all corrupters of true religion have ever done, and taught licentious doctrines ; which is a method extremely pleafing to corrupt men, who diflike fincere piety, andexten- live virtue. Such men * will not indure found doclrine -, but after their own lufts flail they heap to them/elves teachers^ hav- * Rev. IT. 24, 20. f Col. II. iS. Iji Cor. XV. % z Tim. II. 18. * 2 Tim. IV. h 2 Per II. 18. ing [ i7 1 itching curs, that want to be footh'J, and they Jhall turn away their cars from the truth. To gratifie thefe they taught, that fornication was lawful, -f fhou fuf- fcrejl the woman Jezabel, who calleth her- felfa propbetefs, to teach, and f educe my Jir~ vants to commit fornication* J They crept into bou/es„ and led captive filly women, la- den with fins \and led away with diverfe lujls. Of thefe St. Jude fais, 4* That there were certain men crept in unawares, turning the grace of God into lafcivioufneji t and denying the only Lord God ,and out Lord j^c/its Chnjl. Thefc corrupters of pure Chriftianity were influenced by views of eafe, inrereft, and ambition : || teaching things \which they ought not j for filthy lucre's fake: * who/e belly was their God, and who minded earthly thing's, Ot thefc tne apoir.!eP* 3 here, what are injoin'd by the prieft: give me leave firft to reprefent them to you; and then (hew, that thefe are not built upon any firm or folid foundation, tho' they are admirably fited to promote the corrupt views of that church. i. The papifts define penance to be " A rt facrament, confifting in fome outward ? € fign or ceremony, by which grace is P given to the foul of the worthy recei-r (c ver, inftituted by Chrifl, when breath- " ing upon his difciples he gave them " the Holy Ghoft, to remit and retain " fins, that is, to reconcile the faithful " fallen into i'm after baptifm. It differ- " eth from baptifm not only in the mat. that by the autho- rity of thefe witnefles he may be con- vinced, and prevail'd with to repent. But if this method alfo prove inerTe&ual to reforcfc C 33 1 reform him, then tell thy cafe to the church; and if he ftill be fo obftinate, as not to be influenced by public reproof, you have done your duty, and you may have no more to do with him in a wav of friendfhip and familiarity. Verily I fay unto you , * whatfoever injury or trefpafs , taking thefe prudent methods which I have laid down, ye (hall bind on your offending and incorrigible brother on earth , mail bs bound in heaven ; and whatfoever trefpafs ye fhall loofe on earth, by reducing the offender to repen- tance, in the ufe of the rules I have be- fore prefcribed , and entitling him, a- greably to my doctrine, to your foirgiv- nefs , fhall be loofed in heaven. Up- on this Peter ask'd, how oft his bro- ther might iin againft him, and he be obliged upon his repenting to forgive him. Now upon this interpretation, which appears agreable to the whole of Chrift's difcourfe here, what foundation is there for the authority of the prieft akne to forgive; efpecially when there is not the leaft mention made of the prieft in the whole paragraph ? Having thus overturnM the foundation, d Vkl. Grit, r'fl he, E upon C 34 3 ppon which from fcripture they build the dodtrines of penance and injoin'd pilgri- mages, the fuperftrudtures, as, that pe- nance is, a facrament; and the exorbitant powers, which are fuppofed to be given to the priefts; muft of courfe fall, in the opinion of proteftants, whofe religion is fcripture alone. But when the writers of the church of Rome from the pureit antiquity mall produce teftimonies to prove the dodtrine of penance, as it is reprefented in the council of Trent, to be mbft antient, it will be no difficult task to make a reply. The argument which a late writer ufes, taken from the priefls pronouncing under the law the leprous perfon clean, is rather an illuftration than a proof. However fince it is borrowed from the law of Mofes, which we gentile Chrlftians were never under, and which is now abrogated, it can never be regarded as conclufive. And whereas the fame author fais, that their dodtrine is allowed by the church of England, I leave them to anfwer, who are more nearly concer- ned in it, than I am. By what has been offer'd, I think it plainly appears, that the popifh doctrines of penance and enjoin'd pilgrimages are npt built upon any firm and foiid foun- dation t 35 i dation ; however they arc admirably ed to promote corrupt views. What < more gratify the ambition of a pfieft, tl to make his authoritative fentence neceffa- ry to the forgiving mortal fins. The wo which 1 refer to are thefe : * " And tho' We are delivered to do all thefe abominations. The fecond is : *Andbefide< this, giving all diligence, add to your faith, virtue-, and to virtue, knowledge-, and to knowledge, tem- perance-, and to temperance, patience-, and to patience, godlinefs-, and to go dlinefis, bro- therly kindnefs; and to brotherly kindnefs y charity. If ye do thefe things, yejhall never fall. For Jo an e?itra?ice fall' be miniftred unto you abundantly, into the everlafting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour J ejus Chri/l. 2 Pet. I. 5, 6. fcV. FINIS, w*fc> BOOKS Printed for Thomas Cox, as the Lamb under the Royal -Exchange. AN Effay towards explaining the Hiftory and Revela- tions of Scripture in their feveral Periods. To which is added a DifTertation on the Fall of Man. By Je- remiah Hunt, D. D. The Tryal and Sufferings of Mr. Ifaac Martin, who was put into the Inauifiticli in Spain, for the fake of the Protejlant Religion. Written by himfelf, and dedicated to his nioft facred Majefty King George I. by whofe gracious Interpolation he was releafed. The fccond Edition, price 2 /. To which is prefixed, a Copy of a Certificate figned By the then Archbiftiops, and thirteen Bifhops relating to his Sufferings. W. Cant. Jo. Wigorn. J. Afaph. W. Ebor. C Norwich. Edm. Lincoln. J oh. London. W. Sarum. Hu. Brijiol. Jonat.Wincbefl. Tho. Ciceftrenfis. Benj. Bangor. W. Ely. Fr. Rojfen. Job. Peurbor. A Practical Difcourfe of God's Sovereignty, with other- material points derived from thence, viz. Of the Righteouf- nefs of God; of Election ; of Redemption; of Effectual Calling; of Perfeverance. By Elijba Coles. The eighth Edition. Ephefians i. II. Who zuorketh all Things after the Council of his own Will. Generis xviii. 25. Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right ? Price 2 s. 6 d. i A Difcourfe concerning the Redirection of Jefus Chrifl. In three Parts. Wherein, I. The Conferences of the Doctrine are Ihted hypot'he- tically. II. The Nature and Obligation of Moral Evidence arc explain'd at large. III. The Proofs of the Fact of our Saviour's Refurre- £tion are propos'd, examined, and fairly demonitrated to be concluiive. Together with an Appendix concerning the impoffible Production of Thought from Matter and Motion: The Nature of Human Souls, and of Brutes; The Anima Mundi, and the Hypothecs of the TOllAN, as alfo, concerning Divine Providence , the Original of Evil, and the Univerfe in general. 'HyipQti Kvp/^ ov- 7 cof, Luke xxiv. 34. By Humphrey Ditton. late Mailer of the New Mathematical School in Qhrifti-Hofpitah The third Edition, price 5 s. Mr. B AT E S's SERMON Preach'd at SALTERS-HALL, March 6, 1734-5. [Price Six-pence.] The Church of RomeV Doctrine and Practise with relation to the Worship of God in an unknown Tongue examirid> I N A SERMON Preached at SALTERS-HALL, March 6, 1734-5* By JO S HUA BATES. LONDON: Printed for R. Ford, at the Angel ; and R. Hett, at the Bible and Crown ; both in the Poultry, M DCC XXXV. i Cor. xiv. 9. So likewife ye y except ye utter with the tongue words eafy to be underJlood y how /hall it be known what is fpoken f for ye fo all f peak into the air, HOEVER reads this chap- ter with care, and without prejudice, cannot, I appre- hend, but eafily oblerve, |H that a principal defign of the apoftle therein is to (hew, that the worfhip of God in the af- femblies of Chriftians, ought to be perform- ed in a language which all that join in it are acquainted with ; for he all along reprefents the ufe of an unknown tongue there, as contrary to the very end and defign of fuch affemblies, and by feveral arguments mews, not only the impropriety, but the abiur- dity of it. And particularly in the words I have f 6 J I have now read, he plainly aflerts, that what is fpoken by thofe who officiate there- in, fhou'd be known by fuch as are prefent ; and therefore, that they ought to utter with the tongue words eafy to be underjlood, and that otherwife they would /peak into the air, and what they faid would be utterly loft and unprofitable to thofe that heard them. But fmce the days of the apoftle fome have rifen up in the world, and thofe fuch as make the greateft pretenfions to religion, even to that degree as to confine it to themfelves, and to exclude all from the hope of lalvation that are not of their church and communion, who are of a different opinion from his; I mean thofe of the church of Rome, who would have us believe, that it is better to have the worfhip of God performed in an unknown tongue, than in a language which the peo- ple are acquainted with. It may feem ftrange, that any who pro- fefs a regard to God, and to the welfare of fouls, fhould give into an opinion and practice fo directly contrary to fcripture and. reafon too. But when we confider in how many other inftances they have depraved the worfhip of God, as well as the do- ctrines of Chriftianity, we need not fa much wonder at this, or think it ftrange that they who have locked up the fcrip- ture* [7] tures from the laity, and deny them the li- berty of reading them in a language they underftandj ihould, itill the more to con- firm them in their ignorance, appoint their worfhip to be in an unknown tongue too. Whether they arc in the right in in- filling on this, or Proteftants in being un- willing to fubmit to it, and in dellring to have their worfhip performed in a lan- guage which they are acquainted with, is what I am now to inquire into; and in or- der to determine this, I fhall proceed in the following method. I. I fhall fet before you what is the doctrine of the church of Rome concern- ing this matter. II. I will endeavour to give you fomc account of what St. Paul has faid concern- ing it in this chapter. III. I fhall confider what thofe of the church of Rome are wont to alledge in de- fence of their doctrine and practife. And, IV. I fhall then fuggeft fomc further reafons why we think it not only inexpe- dient, but unlawful, to u(e an unknown tongue in the worfhip of God. I. I i( ti ii I. I am to fet before you, what is the doctrine of the church of Rome concerning this matter. And in order to this, I think it will be fufficient to refer you to what the council of T'rent has decreed concerning it, for that is the prefent ftandard of their doctrine. Now therein it is declared, cc That tho' the mafs contain great inftru-. ction for God's faithful people, yet it feemed not expedient to the fathers, (i. e. of that council) that it fhould be ce^ lebrated every where in the vulgar tongue; but prophe/ying ferveth not for them that believe not, but Jor them which believe. Wherein he mews, that they were of no ufe in Chriflian affemblies, and among thofe who had embraced the Chriflian faith, and wanted only to be further in- itxiicled and eflablifhed therein ; but that it was prophejying, or fpeaking in their own language, that was more proper for them. And if, upon this account, the apo- ftle forbids the ufe of fuch infpired langua- ges in their flated affemblies, his reafoning will be equally ftrong againil the ufe of the Latin tongue in divine worfhip now -, for as that can have no pretence to be a fign to them that believe not, fince it is not re- ceived by infpiration, but acquired in the fiie of means -, Jo neither is it fuited to the edification of them that believe, iince it is not generally underftood by them. Yea further, The apoftle reprefents their ufing an un- known tongue in their religious affemblies, as what had a tendency to expofe them and their worihip to the contempt and ridi- cule of unbelievers, who might happen to come in anion z them, and fo confirm them in their infidelity. Whereas, on the other hand, when thofe who minifler, inftead of fpeaking in an unknown tongue, plain- ly interpret fcripture, and fpeak of the great [ n ] great truths of Chriftianity in a language intelligible and proper, a heathen or un- learned perfon coming in would probably be convinced, and become a convert to it. This argument the apoftle urges, v. 23. If therefore^ lays he, the whole church be come together into one place, and all /peak ninth tongues y and there come in tho/e that are uft* learned or unbelic-vcrs, will they not fay you are mad? Whereby he intimates that they would have juft reaibn to think fo -, for to what purpofe do men fpeak in iuch affem- blies, if it is not with a deiign to be un- derstood j or with what advantage can others attend upon them, if they under- Hand not what is ipoken ? When men are met together for the worfhip of God, and a ftranger comes in among them to obferve what they are doing, who hearing only an empty found of unintelligible words which he can make nothing of ; and upon inquiry of thofe who by their poftures and geflures feem to be very devout in it, mould find, that neither do they underftand any thing of what is laid ; would he not here- upon be tempted to look upon them rather as a company of men out of their w r its, than as a worihipping aiTembly ? And if, at that time, the (peaking with tongues in Chriltian allemblies, which were not un- derltood by the people, was in the apoftle's opinion a reproach upon religion, and tended [ 22 ] tended to prejudice men againft it ; may not this with equal reafon be faid of the RomiJJj Latin Service, which is no more underftood by the generality of thofe that join in it, than thofe were then ? But, as he goes on, ver. 24, 25. If all prophefy y a?zd there come in one that believeth ?iot i or is unlearned, he is cofttinced of all, he is judged of ail. Ami thus an the fecrets of his heart itiddc manifjl, and f falling down on his face he will worjJjip God, and report that God is in you of a truth. When they that minifter in holy things fpeak in a lan- guage underftood by all, and in a manner becoming the folemnity and importance of what they are about ; this is a proper means of keeping up the credit of reli- gion, and of perfuading men to embrace it. I fhall only add in the laft place, That to give the greater force to all that he had laid, the apoftle affures us in the clofe of his difcourfe on this fubject, That the things which he had written, to the Corinthians , were the commandments of the Lord ; and that no true prophet, or any one really in- ipired, durft deny it. He fharply rebukes thofe Chriftians for the diforder and con- fufion they had brought into Chriftian af- femblies, vtir, 36. and then adds, ver. 37. If any man think him/elf to be a prophet , or fpi ritual y let him acknowledge that the things C 23 ] things that I write unto you, are the com* mandments of the Lord, And fure this is a confideration that mould filence all ob- jections, and be of greater weight and au- thority with us than the council of Trenfs decree. But, III. I proceed to confider what thofe of the church of Rome are wont to alledge in defence of their doclrine and praclife. And here I fhall firft take notice of what they urge to evade the force of the apoftle's rea- foning in this chapter, and from whence they would fhew that it does not conclude againft them. And then I {hall confider fome further pleas they make ufe of to fup- port their unreafonable pracSife of cele- brating the worfhip of God, in a language which is not underftood by the common people. There are feveral things which they urge to evade the force of the apoftle's reafon- ing in this chapter, the chief of which are drawn from an imagined difference in the cafe which he refers to, from what it is now. Of this they endeavour to produce feveral inftances, from whence they would infer, that what he fays, does not affect them. They pretend, r '.' 4 T,. vate conferences, or fpiritual exerciies, in which they were wont to edify one another when the publick worfhip was " over.' But in anfwer to this : Tho' it fhould be allowed that fuch exerciies were in life among them, and that the apoftle might have fome regard to them ; yet that he fpeaks only of thefe, is fo far from being true, that I think the contrary mull be evi- dent to any one that reads his difcourfe without prejudice ; for it is plain from ver. 23, and 28. that he fpeaks of fuch exer- cifes as were performed in the publick alfembly, and when the whole church was come together into one place. Belides, if in fuch lefler aflfemblies they were to ufe a language which was underllood by all pre- fent, and not to fpeak in an unknown tongue, unlefs there were fome to inter- pret, then certainly they mull be equally obliged to do this, when they were met to- gether in more publick and folemn affem- blies; and the reafon which the apoftle af- iigns for it, that all things Jlmild be done to edifying, mull be as llrong, yea llronger in this cafe than in the other. They further pretend, " That the apo- which the people, for the moft part, * Here I cannot for- bear tran fcribing a paflage of the late arch- bifhop Tillot/on, who having reprefented the Papifts as faying, i, and of the Hcly Ghcjl. Amen. And then the whole work is concluded with prayers and refponfes. Ritual, p^g. [*4] I cannot difmifs this ritual without obferving ; that it directs the priefts * c to afk prudent c quejlions in fiich cafes where the penitent does 1 not exprefs the number, the kinds, and the c neceffary circumftances of his fins :' and that tho' -f it bids them take heed that they do not I detain the penitents with curious or unprofitable c queftions, efpecially the younger people of ei- c ther fex, or other perfons, concerning things * which they are ignorant of; left they mould 4 thereby take offence and learn to fin :' yet the penitent is intirely at the mercy of the priefl whether he mall be afked fuch queftions or not : that it is notorious thefe things are often done, to the violation of all rules of modefty and decency; and fuch thoughts of any kind fuggefted by the wicked priefts, as may beft ferve the purpofes of their lewdnefs, avarice, or malice : and that in the circumftances in which confeflion is efta- blifh'd by the church of Rome, there is no way to prevent fuch evils. The effect of this facrament of penance, (the : l council of Trent tells us) ' with regard to its c force and efficacy, is reconciliation with God :' agreeably to what they had affirmed a little be- fore; c that || the power of remitting and retain- c ing fins was given to bifhops and priefts for that < purpofe ;' and c that ** this their facrament is * neceffary to the falvation of thofe who have c finned after baptifm/ Thus I have fet forth from authentic records the doctrine of the church of Rome concerning auricular confeflion and prieftly abfolution : in the * Ritual, pag. 63. + Pag. 63, 64- t Sefc. XIV. cap. 3. || Cap. 2. ' ** Ibid. the doing which I could not avoid adding fome other things relating to their facramcnt of pe- nance, which are neceflarily connected with thefe two articles. If I have drawn out the ac- count into too great a length, it was hecaufe I feared that a very brief relation would not give you a fufficient notion of doctrines, which you would wonder mould ever enter the minds of profefs'd chriftians. The fetting them forth thus largely will, I hope, in the minds of pro te ft ants, who are acquainted with their bible, and ac- knowledge that for the only rule of their faith, go a good way towards a confutation, and there- by morten my remaining work. However, I beg leave, according to my propofed method, II. To examine the ground, upon which the church of Rome herein proceeds. And here it will be neceflary to confider at- tentively thofe texts of fcripture, upon which they lay a ftrefs in this argument : for they are forced in this cafe to have recourfe to fcripture, becaufe they know that the common fcnfc and reafon of mankind are againft them : and they are glad to catch at any plaufible appearances, arifing from a perverfion of fingle difficult paf- fages, detach'd from fuch as wou'd Efficiently explain them ; becaufe they know, that a fair comparifon of one part of fcripture with another wou'd turn to their confufion. But I cannot forbear obferving what a meer farce the council of Trent acts, in appealing to fcripture at all, for the fupport of their do- ctrine of confefiion and abfolution -, when they had [ *6 ] had before laid it down as a rule, 6 that it be- ' longs to * mother church alone to judge of * the true fenfe of holy fcripture ; and decreed, * that no perfon whatever, trufting to his own * prudence, in matters of faith or manners, be- 1 longing to the edification of chriftian doctrine, ' wrefting the fcripture to his own fenfe, mould * dare to interpret the holy fcripture contrary to * that fenfe which holy mother church hath * held and doth hold, or contrary to the una- c nimous confent of the fathers/ What a farce, I fay, is it, after all this, to appeal to fcripture ? For if the decrees of the T^rent council were ever deiigned to be of any ufe to the com- mon people, (and if they were not, why do the fathers of that council, in their canons, oblige all without exception, under the penalty of a fevere curfe, to receive their doctrine ?) if, I fay, they were defign'd to be of any ufe to the peo- ple, the quoting of fcripture can never anfwer any fuch purpofe ; becaufe the common people can make no judgment at all about it, for want of knowing what fenfe holy mother church has al- ways put upon fcripture , and what has been the unanimous confent of the fathers with relation to it. Nay, even if the decrees of this council were defign'd only for the ufe of the priefts, as one would be tempted to think they were : yet to what purpofe is it to quote fcripture? when, by appropriating to the church alone the right of in- terpreting fcripture, they have taken it out of the power even of the priefts to judge for them- f elves : belides that it is as impoffible for the priefts * Sefs. IV. [ *7 ] priefts as the people to know the unanimous ct fent of the fathers y fincc it is well known that the fatheis have differ'd very much in their judgments from each other. But iince notwithstanding there tilings they do pretend to fhew refpect to feripture, where they think it may ferve their turn ; let us exa- mine whether the texts they produce can fup- port the weight they lay upon them. They tell us : c our * Lord then chiefly in- * ftituted the facrament of penance, when being c railed from the dead he breathed upon his di/~ c ciples, and faid ; Receive ye the Holy Ghoji -, c whofe finsjoever ye remit, they are rejnitted, and c Tchofefoever ye retain, they are retained' And upon this text therefore they chiefly ground the pow r er of the prieft's authoritative abfolution, and the necefiity of auricular confeflion. But nothing befides their ufurped power of interpreting for all the chriftian world, could enable them to impofe fuch a fenfe as this upon our Saviour's words. If it were true, that this was our Lord's mind with regard to the apoftles themfelves, the contrary to which I think is evident , yet how will this convey to the ordi- nary priefts, in all fucceeding ages, a power of granting authoritative abfolutions at their own difcretion ; or of claiming a particular confeflion of fecret fins in order thereto ? When Chrift breathed upon the apojl/es, as a token of con- ferring the Holy Ghoft upon them, did he at the fame time breathe upon all the priefts that were to come into the world ? Did he by the C fame * Congil. Trident. Seff. XIY= cap, i, [ i8 ] fame acftion, or indeed by any other, convey the Holy Ghoft to them ? Did he give to them, of even to biihops themfelves, all the fame power* which he gave to the apoftles ? It is evident that the words in queftion were fpoken to the apoftles, and to them alone, on the day when our Saviour arofe from the dead : and we are to judge, by the circumftances of the perfons to whom they were delivered, as well as by the words themfelves, whether our Lord meant to apply them to any other than their own perfons. To the apoftles it was faid with great pro- priety :' As my Father hath fent me y even fo fend I you. For this was an immediate and extraor- dinary miffion of the apoftles by our Lord Jefus Chrift ; as was that of Chrift himfelf by his heavenly Father \ tho' there was ail unfpeakable difference in the dignity of the perfons fent, and in the extenfivenefs of the work. However, here was full power given by Chrift to his apoftles, to perform the work afligned to them -, as there was by the Father to the Son, for the fervice in which he was to be employ'd. But will any man therefore affirm, that hereby were convey'd to biihops and priefts in fucceeding ages all the powers convey'd to the apoftles ? As well might he affirm, that the apoftles did in this their miffion from Chrift receive all thofe powers with which Chrift himfelf was inverted, and that they were fent to do in all refpects the fame work. But not to infift any longer on thefe intro- duftory words ; I proceed to thofe immediately following, [ ; i9 ] following, upon which the great ftrefs is laid- And when he had J'aid this, he breathed on them ; and faid unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghojl ; whojejbever fins ye remit, they are remitted unto them -, and whojejbever fins ye retain, they are retained. Now, make as little allowance as you pleafe for the ftrong figurative manner of fpeaking in the eaftern countries -, yet do but allow that Chrift underftood what he w r as doing while he fpoke thefe words, and I will appeal- to you, or indeed to any man living, whether he cou'd poffibly extend them to that fenfe, which you have feen the church of Rome, and particularly the council of Trent, afcribes to them. Can our Lord, by any conftruction of thefe words, be iuppofed to have left priefts his vicars, as c pre- * fidents and judges, before whom all mortal * fins into which the faithful might fall mould c be brought, that according to the power of c the keys for remitting or retaining fins they < might pronounce fentence ?' Can any man believe, that in order hereunto f there was vir- ' tually inftituted by the fame words an intire c confeffion of fins to the prieft f and a power likewife conferred to enjoin what penances he fhould think fit, and then to fay to the peni- tent, I abjblve thee? Can any man really believe, that our Lord defign'd fuch a proceis mould have the effects which the council of < Tre?it afcribes to it ? particularly, that hereupon mould follow 1 reconciliation with God ;' and that yet it fhould not be in the power of God to be recon- ciled to the penitent, where the prieft happen'd C 2 to [ ** ] to with-hold his good intentions when he pro- nounced the words of abfolution ? It is impoffible, I fay, that fuch things as thefe mould ever have been in our Lord's inten- tion : and particularly impoffible, that he mould have given to men the power of difpenfing par- dons in an arbitrary manner. The Son of God can never be fufpected of giving any fuch power ; fince it would be inconfiftent with the power of the divine Being himfeif : for beiides what is to be fa id concerning frail mortal men in general, fiibjedt to paffions and prejudices and miftakes; and befides that it is well known, thoufands of priefts are flupidly ignorant, of the chriftian re- ligion, and almoft of every thing elfe -, it is certain, that wicked men (fuch as the council of ^tirent muft acknowledge pr lefts under mortal jin to be) might be erroneous enough to diipenfe pardons, where an all-wife and perfectly holy God, even with all his infinite mercy, would fee good reafon to refule them. It is indeed hard to conceive, how any man mould in earneft believe thefe things. But this interpretation of our Saviour's words gives fuch an acceffion of power to the Romifh bifhops and priefts 5 that any one, who obferves their nu- merous incroachments in other refpects, cannot much wonder they mould infift upon it. But they have no other way to make fuch interpre- tations pafs, than by detaching fingle fentences from their context -, making no comparifon with other texts which wou'd explain them ; follow- ing, as in the cafe of tranfubftantiation, the ffiict literal fenfe, where it is moil evident that fenfe [ 21 J fenfe cou'd never be intended ; and making no allowance for figures of fpeech, where it is moil evident they were defigned; nor any confide- ration of the character and circumftarices of the perfons (peaking or fpoken to. It is cafv to darken any expreflions whatever by Inch methods as thefe, and to give them a lt< gether different i what the (peaker writer intended; whereas if we will take fair and candid mealures or interpretation, a clear light may be thrown upon paffages which have really ibme obicurity in them. Thus, with re-r gard to the words of our text : if we will make allowance for the figurative manner of expref- fion ; compare the paifage with others which have a manifeft relation to it ; and confider how the apoftles themfelves underftood it, by the tenor of their writings and conduct after they receiv'd this commiffion : we mall find the meaning to be fomething very different from the forced interpretation of the council of rfrent. We fhall find j that when our Saviour breathed on his apoftleSy and J aid to them, Receive ye the Holy Ghoft j whojejbever fins ye remit, they arc remitted to them ; and whofejbever ye retain, they are retained ; his meaning was to aflure them, that they ihould receive that infallible guidance and affilhince of the Holy Ghoft, which fhould enable them, without any danger of miftake, to publim among men the terms upon which tinners ihould be pardoned, and upon the re- jection whereof their fins fhould remain unfor- given. And hence indeed it will follow ; that whoever iliall in fucceeding ages comply with thofc [ 22 ] thofe terms, though declared by uninfpired men, fhall receive the benefit of God's gracious par- don ; and that they who rejecl: thole terms mall go without forgivenefs. The effect therefore, of having fins remitted or retained) will in all ages of the church follow upon men's comply- ing or not complying with the terms, which the Koly Ghoft, conferred on the apoftles, en- abled them infallibly to make known ; and con- fequently does not depend upon thofe terms being declared by a prieft, any more than by a layman. If any man whatever, whether in holy orders or not, can be fo happy as to con- vert a [inner from the error of his way, by bring- ing him to a due fenfe of it, and perfuading him to comply with thofe terms of pardon and acceptance, which the apoftles were enabled in- fallibly to publilh > he Jhall five a foul from death, and fo all hide a multitude of fins. Thus we are exprefsly affured by one of the apoftles themfelves ; the apoftle fames, chap. V. 20. And that this profpect is not confined to mini- fters, or perfons in holy orders, appears from the addrefs in the preceding verfe, to all the brethren, to whom the epiftle is directed ; 1. e. * to the twelve tribes fcattered abroad. To all thefe the apoftle addreffes himfelf, when he fays, Brethren, if any of you do err from the truth, and one co?ivert him ; let him know, that he Jhall five a foul from death. I cannot forbear obferving by the bye ; that the cafe here fpeciried, that of brethren erring from the truth, and turning from that error, is * Chap. I. ver. I. [ *s ) is the very cafe of the lap fed after baptifm ; in which the church of Rome pretends their iucni- ment of penance dots jure divino ncceHarily take place. And yet the apoftle is Co for from inti- mating any ncceihty of confeilion to a prieft, or of foch fatisfacTions as he fhall enjoin, or of receiving ablblution from his mouth ; that with- out any difference between prieft and people, he direcls his diicourfe to the brethren in general, and encourages them with the hope, that any of them, if they will ufe their endeavours, mav be fo happy as to convert a /inner from the error of his way, and thereby J'ave a foul from death. And, I befeech you, what is faving a foul from death ? Is it a whit lefs than re?nitti?ig of fins, which is the phrafe in our text ? Yet both the one and the other is, we fee, in the phra- feologyof fcripture, afcribed to men, who are only the inftruments of this remif/wnandjahation, by perfuading their brethren to comply with the gofpel methods, to which remifion and Jaha- tion are promifed. ; whereas, in flrictnefs of fpeech, it is certain that none but God can Jave the foul from death, any more than remit fins. How evident is it, from this one paffage of St. James, that allowance is to be made for figures of fpeech ? How evident indeed is the . neceflity of this allowance in all writings, and even in conversation ? And how much more frequent are ftrong figures of fpeech in the ori- ental writings, than in others ? And how vifible is it, that the fcriptures abound with fuch man- ners [ 2 4 ] ners of expreffion ; which yet, by the circum- fiances wherein they are delivered, are eafy enough to be understood ? If it be objected, that it is hard to fuppofe this fhould be done in the delivery of a eommiffion ; the objection is eafily aniwered irom precedents in the old teftament -, where the prophets are, in receiving their eommiffion, told by the Moft High him- felf, and without any danger of miftaking his meaning, that they are lent to do thole very things, which 'tis plain they are only fent to declare. There is no need of quoting to this purpofe any more than that one remarkable paffage, JerA. 9, 10. The?! the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord [aid wito me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day Jet thee over the na- tions and over the ki?igdoms ; to root out, and to pull down, and to deflroy, and to throw down, and to build, and to plant* Will the Romanifts fay, that the prophet was to do all thefe things in the literal fenfe ? Or will they pretend, that thefe words, together with the context from ver. 5. fignify any more, than that ^Jeremiah was chofen of God, and by him perfectly furnifhed, and after an ex- traordinarv manner fent forth, to declare his mind and will to the nations -, and that the de^- clarations fo made fhould have their effect ? Why, all this we allow was done by our bleffed Lord with regard to the apoftles -, and affirm, that their eommiffion in our text is to be un- derftood to this purpofe, and not concerning the power f M ] pOWer of remitting or retaining Jins in the lite- ral fenfe. If we will judge how the apoftles themfelves underftood their commiflion, by the work in which they chiefly eniploy'd themfelves ; it will be eafy to lee, that they undi .1 it to mean the preaching that gofpel, upon the reception or rejection of which men ihou'd he finally happy or unhappy. And when Chrift chofe them to be the firil preachers of a dc&rine, far from being favourable to the interefts of defignin^ men, or the pleafures of the voluptuous; which for its naked fimplicity would be defpifed by lome, and muft expefi to meet with oppofition from thofe in every nation, who were prejudi- ced in favour of fentiments and cuftoms al- ready in fafhion ; it was in great wifdom that he conferred on them the Holy Ghoft : for hereby they were not only let into a more clear and comprehenfive view of his whole counfel, and better eftablifh'd in it, than under their re- maining prejudices they cou'd otherwife have been ; but were likewife furnifhed with ex- traordinary powers, for proving the certainty of their million from him, and the certainty like- wife of their delivering his true mind and will. Thefe powers they accordingly exercis'd on proper occafions, as appears by their hiftory : but all in fubferviency to their grand work of preaching the gofpel, and promoting in that way the intereft of their mailer's kingdom. In which work they employ'd ib much of their time ; that if they had had any notion of the neceflity of auricular confeffions and authorita- D tive [ 26] tive abfolutions, which it is plain they had not % yet it wou'd have been impofiible for them to attend the fervice, tho' of all men in the world the fitter!: for it, becaufe of that power of dif cerning /pirits, which among other gifts of the Holy Ghoft was imparted to them. And can any man believe, that the apoftles underftood the words in our text concerning authoritative abfolutions ; and that yet we fliou'd have no account in the new teflament of the thoufands who muft daily have flock'd to them in con- feffion ? What ! not come to the apoftles for abfolution ! who received immediately, from their mailer's own mouth, the authority to grant it ! No : the apoftles had taught no fuch do- ctrine ; having no notion that their mafter meant any thing like it : and therefore no wonder the people followed no fuch practice. Indeed, we need only coniider the words of million, compared with the apoftles practice, and that of their Lord himfelf who fent them, to convice us what was the work, in which Chrift defign'd they fhould be employ 'd, when he fent them forth. The words of million are : As my Father hath fent me, even Jo fend I you. Now I ask ; What was the errand, upon which Chrift here fent his apoftles ? Was it to fit pri- vately in judgment upon men's fecret fins, and to enjoin them penances according to their own will and pleafure, and then give them abfolu- tion ? Or was it to publilri to the world his gofpel, with the demonjiration of the Spirit and ■power ; that gofpel, which himfelf had taught them, and which he had aflured them the Holy Ghoft E *7 J Ghoft * Jlmdd bring to their remembrance ? One wou'd think, that Chrift himfelf plainly enough told his apoftles what was the errand upon which he fent them, by feying, that as his Father fent him, even fo be lent them. For Chrift in the whole tenor of his miniilry de- clared, that the Father fent him to make known unto men his counfel for their falvation ; and that it wou'd have its effect in the falvation of thofe who embraced it, and the deftiuction of thofe who fhou'd reject it : and this no doubt was the errand, upon which he fent his apoftles. This is indeed vifible beyond doubt in the two other places, where Chrift's commiflion to his difciples is recorded : and therefore to them we ought to have recourfe for explaining the figura- tive expreftions in our text. Mark XVI. 15, 16. Go ye into all the world, and preach the go/pel to every creature : he that believetb, and is bap- tized, /hall be faved ; and he that believeth not fiall be condemned. The other paflagc, Matt. XXVIII. is more to our prefent purpofe in one refpect -, as it is prefaced, like our text itfeli, with the mention of Chrift's own miflion from the Father, attended with powers which no man will be fo extravagant as to affirm he com- municated to others. All forcer is given unto me in heaven and earth : go ye therefore, and teach all nations, &c. This was the errand upon which the apoftles were fent ; the teaching men to obey whatsoever Chrijl had commanded : and this work, he fignifies, it was his mind fhou'd be carried on even unto the end of the world, by D 2 promising * John XIV. 26. [ 28 ] promifing his prefence and bleffing to all thofe in any age who fhou'd teach the fame doctrine. But it will no more follow from hence, that thofe others in fucceeding ages mould be at- tended with all the fame powers with which the apoftles were attended, than that the apo- ftles themfelves had all power in heaven and earth given to them, as Chrift declares in the beginning of this paflage they were given to him. But farther : the interpretation whicfi I have given of my text, with regard to the awful ef- fects of the apoftles preaching, is confirmed by the words of St. Paul, 2 Cor. II. 15, 16. which are very near as ftrong in the phrafeology, as thofe in the text itfelf. We are unto God a fweet favour of Chrifl, in them that are j arced, and in them that periflj : to the one we are the favour cf death unto death ; and to the other the favour of life unto life. And 'tis to the fame purpofe, that the fame apoftle fpeaks of his go/pel, i. e. the gofpel which he preached, as that, accord- ing to which God would hereafter judge the fe- crets of men by fcfus Chrifl. Rom. II. 16. And, that this is the true meaning of remit- ting and retaining /ins in my text, appears plain- ly from that other text, prefs'd by the council of '''Trent into the fervice of authoritative abfolu- tionsj Matt. XVI. 19. w T here the power of bind- ing and loofing is evidently the fame as that of retaining and remitti?ig jins in my text -, and the giving unto Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven leads us to the true meaning of binding and loofing, and confequently explains the remit- ting C 29 ' ] ting and retaining fins, fpoken of in my text. The giving unto Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven manifeftlj its explication from his having the honour firft to preach the do- ctrine of the kingdom of heaven after our Lord's refurredtion and ^fceniion, whereby that king- dom was eftahlilhed. Whoever was firft after this eftablifhment employ'd to preach the do- ctrine of the kingdom of heaven, might very well be laid, as it were, to open the gates of that kingdom, by the keys given him for that purpofe. Now it is obfervable, that as fome one perfon muft be rirlf in opening the dcclrine of the kingdom of heaven 3 fo the grant of the "keys was made to one peribn j to Peter alone, and never to any other : but the power of ling and loofmg, mentioifd in the fame verfe, and in Matt.. XVIII, and that of remitting and retaining Jin 7, in JoLvi XX. were granted to all the reft of the apoftles in con junction with him : and therefore that trite phrafc, of the power of the keys, confounded as it is with the power of binding and kojing, remitting and retaining, and applied to authoritative decifions of ecclefiaifical men, plainly appears to have no foundation. But tho' the grant of the keys is not the lame thing as the Binding end loafing, prefently after mentioned; yet it leads to the true meaning of it. Chrift allures Peter, that in his preaching he mould be enabled lo erieclually to deliver the terms, on which the Moil High would re- ceive finners to mercy, i"s that no perfon s upon earth who comply'd with thole terms ftiould fiil of being forgiven; and lb to d uhce the wrath [ 3°] wrath of God againft the unbelieving and difo- bedient, that whoever fhould reject his doctrine, and defpife the authority upon which it was founded, fhould not obtain pardon. This is the plain meaning of the promife made to Peter , that what he Jloould bind upon earth, flmdd be bound in heaven, and what he JJoould loofe on earth , fhould be ho fed in heaven. Now fince this bind- ing and loojing is the fame as retaining and re- mitting fins, and is in the promife to Peter in- timately connected with preaching the doctrine of the kingdom of heaven : the true meaning of binding and loojing, and confequently of retain- ing and remitting Jins by virtue of a commiffion from Chrift, rnuft be preaching that doctrine, according to the tenor of which men mould have their fins either remitted or retained by the great Judge of all. And well might they, who were fent with a fpecial commiffion from Chrift, to preach that gofpel, according to the reception of which the condition of its hearers was to be finally determined ; well might they, I fay, in a figurative manner of fpeech, be laid by their preaching to bind upon the reje<5?cers of it their great fin in rejecting it, or in the language of our text, to retain their fins ; and to looje thoje from their fins, or remit their fins to them, who embraced a gofpel which expreisly promifes for- givenefs to all that embrace it. In a literal fenfe the words are not capable o*" being taken, with- out great abfurdity, and encroaching upon the prerogative of God. And the fenfe in which I have explain'd them agrees fo perfectly with a number of other fcriptures which are clear to the [ 3* ] the fame purpofc, and with the character and conduct of the apoftles, to whom the commif- fion was given ; as plainly ihews this to be the true meaning. And thus the whole Romifii do- ctrine of authoritative absolution, built upon the perverfion of our Saviour's words, at once fills to the ground. If we were to conlider that other pafiage, where binding and loo/ing are mention W ; I m * Matt. XVIII. we fhou'd find that it is as far from the purpofe of the Romifh facrament of penance, as thofe already confidered - y tho' it is certain it has a relation to fins committed by chriftian brethren, whereas the others relate to the effects of preaching the gofpel. It is fome- what uncertain, whether the words were direct- ed to the apoftles alone ; or to other difciples with them. But if it was to the apoftles alone ; yet 'tis plain it was not in their apoftolical character, but as fubjects in general of the kingdom of hcavcn y mention'd in the beginning of the chapter ; and relates to trefpaffes committed by one chriftian a- gainft another. In which cafes, our Saviour, in- ftead of fending the offender to confefs to a prieft, advifes the perfon offended to go, and in a kind and gentle manner to admonifh his brother, in order to reclaim him from his fin. Upon fai- lure * Matt. XVIII. 15 — 18. Moreover, if thy brother- fall tref fafs againfl thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone. If he Jhall hear thee, thou hajl gained thy brother. But if be will not hear thee, then take with thee one or tiuo more ; that in the mouth of two or three voitneffes every fpeaking of a perfon, from whom, for a notorious * 2 Cor. II. 5 — 1 1. [33] notorious offence, the church of Corinth haw withdrawn, and who had afterwards given fuf- ficient proofs of fincere repentance, advifes the Corinthians to forgive him ; and declares that be forgave him al/b ; and that whomfoever he had forgiven on their account, he had done it in the per/on of Chri/l, i. e. by his authority, and under the infallible affurance of his ap- probation. Thus, I think, are the words of my text fair- ly relcued from that falfe glofs which the council of Trent had put upon them. But there are o- ther texts, to which they have recourfe for fup- porting their pretenfions. Particularly, * they force into the fervice of their facrament of penance the words of St. Paul, i Cor. V. 1 1, 12. wherein he advifes the chriftians of the church of Corinth not to keep company with any brother who is a fornicator, or covetous, or a drunkard, or an extortioner ; giving this reafon for it ; (which, becaufe it contains the word judge in it, is greedily fnatch'd at) For what have I to do to judge them alfo that are without ? do not ye judge them that are within ? But the bare reci- tal of this text, in its proper connexion, is fuf- ficient to (hew, that it relates to open faults, to which a publick cenlure is due ; and has no relation to auricular confeffion or prieffly ab- folution. 'Tjs as little to the purpofe that *f- they quote the w r ords of the fame apoftle to the Ephejians, chap. II. ver. 3. wherein he tells them, that they had been children of wrath, even as others : E for * Con. Trid. Sefc. XIV. cap. 2. + Cap. 5. [ 34] for they fuggeft no manner of reafon for con- fefling fins privately to a prieft ; which is the whole tenor of that chapter of the 'Trent coun- cil, where this text is quoted. As little is it to the purpofe, that the new teflament expreflions, of violating the temple of God, i Cor. III. 17. grieving the holy Spirit of God, Eph. IV. 30. doing defpight unto the Spirit of grace, Heb. X. 29. and treafuring up wrath againft the day of wrath, Rom. II. 5. are * pro- duced to fhew, that they who have finned after baptifm fhould fubmit to whatever penance the prieft fhall be pleafed to enjoin as a fatisfaction for their fins. Nor is it a whit more to the purpofe, that the -j- Profefion of catholic faith, lately publifh'd in the E?iglijh tongue, for the reception of con- verts into the church of Rome, refers us to the old law, f as a figure of the law of Chrift,' to favour the Romifh doctrine and practice of con- fefiion. For, what if leprofy was a figure of fin ? What if the leprous were obliged, by the exprefs command of an abrogated difpenfation, to /hew themjelves to the priejls ? Will it thence follow, that under the new teflament chriftians muft, without any command or direction from Chrift their law-giver, confefs their fins to a prieft, and take abfolution from him ? What if the Ifraelites were J obliged to make confef- iion, when they had been guilty of a trefpafs, in defrauding their neighbours, or taking away their property by violence ? What if after refti- tution atonement was according to the Mofaic law * Cap. 8. f Page 22, % Num. V. 5— S. Lev. VL 2-7. [ 35 ] law to be made by a prieft ? Yet this will never prove, that under the gofpcl, which acknow- ledges no prieft but Chrift himlclf, chriftians are obliged to confefs to a minifter their lecret iins ; or that forgiveneis at the hand of God de- pends upon a mortal man's abiblution. What \t upon St. Paul's preaching the gofpel, attended with the demonf ration of the Jpirit and of power •, by the miracles which he wrought, * many who believed came public kly, and conjefed, and Jhewed their deeds ? as, upon the preaching of John the baptift, •j- Jerufalem, and all Judea, and all the region round about Jordan, went out to him y and were baptized of him in Jordan, co?fefJi?ig their fins. Do thefe things lay any obligation upon thofe who are already become chriftians, to confefs their fins privately to a prieft, and kneel down before him for pardon ? And laft- ly ; how vile is the perverfion of that text, Jam. V. 1 6. and how wifely did this catechift act, in concealing the greateft part of the verfe ? for the whole verfe runs thus : Confefs your faults one to a?iother ; and pray for one another ; the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man a- vat let h much. Now what colour of a reafon is there to believe, that confefjing to one another, in order to mutual forgiveneis, could mean confef- fing to the elders of the church, mention'd in a quite different cafe in the preceding verfes ? The lame perfons are bid to confefs their faults to one another, who are likewife bid to pray for one ano- ther : and therefore if the people are by this text E 2 directed * AftsXIX. 18. t M^t. III. 5,6. [ 36 ] directed to confefi to the priefts, the priefts are like wife directed to confefs to the people ; if the priefts are bid to pray for the people, fo are the people bid to pray for the priefts. And I am intirely of opinion ; that the prayer here de- fer ibed, the * inwrought prayer of a righteous man, even though he never were in orders, would be as much regarded at the throne of grace, and become as effectual for the forgiven efs of an offence committed aeainft himfelf and confefs'd to him, as if he were pofTerfed of the higheft honours the church of Rome itfelf is able to confer. Thus we have feen how little there is in the numerous paffages I have been confidering, to the purpofe for which the Romanifts produce them : that they really mean quite other things than they bring them to prove. We have icen in particular, that there is not in the v/ords of my text, on which the greateft ftrefs is laid, any authoritative power of abfolution committed un- to men ; nor any confeffion to a prieft inftitu- ted ; tho' the council of Trent fays it contains both. We have feen, that what they interpret concerning the power of granting or with- holding the pardon of fin by bifhops and priefts, was meant by our Saviour concerning the awful effects of preaching his gofpel by the apoftles, under the infallible guidance of the Holy Ghoft. We have feen, that our Saviour could not be capa- ble of putting fuch a fenfe upon his own words, as the council of Trent has put ; becaufe it is inconfiitent with the authority of God's own government, * 'V:'"7> ci'£P}'«£{fy>V [ 37 ] government. And an intimation has likewife been given of the dangerous tendency of that minute and particular confeffion, which the church of Rome requires the people to make to the priefts, of the moft fecret fins, together with their circumftances. But the dangerous tendency of this, and likewife of their doctrine of abiblution, deferves a little more of our at- tention. It has been already obferved, that according to the circumftances in which confeffion is efta- bliflied in the church of Rome, there is the ut- moft danger of violating all rules of modefty and decency 5 by putting queflions, under pretence of fearching fin to the bottom, which fhall fug- geft wicked thoughts to the minds of young and unexperienced perfons, fuch as otherwife wou'd never have enter'd there. But befides this ; auri- cular confeffion is directly calculated, as there is no doubt it was defign'd, to put the poor peni- tent wholly in the prieft's power, with regard to eftate, and reputation, and even life itfelf. The laity, I fay, muft in all thefe refpedts be intire- ly at the mercy of the clergy, if they can be brought to make it a point of confcience to con- fers to them all their failings. And to what purpofe is it for the canon law to tell us, * f that ■ if a prieft reveals what he hears in confeffion, f he fhall be depofed, and wander about in dif- ■ grace all the reft of his life'? If a prieft who is himfelf under the guilt of mortal fin fhou'd be fo wicked as to break his oath of fecrecy; it wou'd be no very great wonder. And in that cafe, what * Dift. vii. de pcenit. cap. 2. [38] what reparation can the fending him to travel abroad make for the unfpeakable mifchiefs of his perjured treachery ? In the mean time, where is the probability, that the Son of God, who had fo tender an affection for his whole church, as to pur chafe it with his own bloody wou'd lay it under the hard neceffity of fuch an intire de- pendence upon its officers ? Then, as to the doctrine of abfolution : I be- feech you to confider, how directly that tends to the deftruction of all morality and piety, all virtue and ferious religion. For, how ftrong a temptation muft it be to a man vitioufly difpo- fed, to be taught, that a prieft, whom he may hope fome way or other to influence, can ab- folve him from moft crimes to which his wicked heart is inclined ? however, that his bifhop can do it - y or at the worft, that the pope can do it : and that the great judge of all has fo far put the matter out of his own power, that he muft confirm in heaven the judicial fentence which mail be pafs'd in his favour here upon earth ? What regard, I fay, will fuch a man pay to the judgment of the Almighty ? what fenfe of re- ligion will he retain towards him ? or what fenfe of the natural obligations of virtue in his con- duct towards men? How will he defpife the doj£trine of the neceffity of reftraining corrupt affections in order to be truly happy ? All thoughts of this kind will be treated with the Utmofl contempt, when he confiders, that, ac- cording to the doctrine of the infallible church, he need only put on an appearance of contrition, confefs the fin he has committed or refolved up- on, C 39 ] on, fubmit to the penance enjoin'd, and receive absolution ; and that then, having made fatisfa- ction for his fin, he is a clear man, and may go on in a courfe of the like actions, without any necefiity of a real reformation. Thus the whole procefs of the F^omim. facrament of pe- nance has a tendency to make men regard ex- ternal performances as an equivalent for inward and real religion, to draw off their minds from attending to it, and at length to extinguish the Senfe of it. And the tendency this way is the more evi- dent, when we confider, that in the article of death, as we have already feen, all prieits are obliged to abfolve from all fins without ex- ception. This the wicked layman knows be- forehand : and may thereby be encouraged to indulge himfelf in all manner of fins, in the ex- pectation of receiving abfolution at laii, and the viaticum of the eucharift into the bargain : both of which the * priefts of the church of Rome are, under pain of eccleiiaftical cenfure, obliged to give to thofe who are dying by diitempers, and likewife to malefactors juSl before their ex- ecution, if they defire it. The papifts indeed, and particularly the au- thor or authors of the -j- catechifm already quoted, do not fail to charge fome proteStants with undertaking to abfolve dying penitents in a folemn manner, as by authority from ChriSt. But this I Shall net meddle with ; my bufineis being to confider the doctrine of abfolution * Inftit. jur. canon, lib. II tit. 5, f Prof, of cath, faith, pag. 21. [ 40 ] abfolution as it ftands in the church of Rome* Now, befides the natural tendency of their doctrine for encouraging fin in the courfe of life ; I would intreat you to coniider, with regard to a dying finner under trouble of mind -, which is the wifer and better method, which more agreeable to the character and duty of a chriflian minifter, and more likely to admin i- fter real comfort where there is room for it : to declare to him the abundant goodnefs s and yet the perfect purity and rectitude of the divine being ; to give him neceffary inftructions concerning the difpofition which God requires, mingled with afliirance of his mercy to the truly penitent ; to acquaint him with the gofpel terms of forgivenefs, and exhort and encourage him to comply with them ; and then, with hearty prayers for him, to leave him to the mercies of God, and the reflections of his own mind : or to hear his confefhon, and then fay 5* / abfolve thee from all cenfures and fins ', in the name of the Father •, and the Son, and the Holy Ghojl. But if all profefs'd minifters of Chrift were to act thus confidently with the principles of their religion ; if they were to take no more upon them than to explain and exhort, to lay the fcripture doctrine before the people, and labour to bring them to a compliance with its directions : the power of the keys, the power of binding and loofing, of remitting and retainijig fins, and in fhort, the whole power of the church of Rome, would be demoliflVd, which they are relblved fhall at any rate be kept up. Ex- plications, * Ritual. Roman, pae 67 [ 4i ] plications, and exhortations, and the mini! bring of (piritual comforts, or of divine warnings fe- parate from human terrors, are thought too mean employments for men, who think them* felves fo capable of difpofing God's favours, as to pretend to determine what punimments in this life fhall avail to the pardon of fin. Of this I have given you a general account already, relating to their doctrine of fatisfaction. Give me leave now, in the conclufion, to remind you of that doctrine : wherein they teach, that * we 4 may fatisfy God the Father thro' Jcfus Chriit, * not only by punimments, of our own acedd 4 undertaken for revenging of fin, or impofed ' by the will of the pricft, according to the < meafure of the crime -, but alfo by temporal * fcourges, inflicted of God, and patiently borne 4 by us/ In purfuance of this doctrine it muft be, that in one of their forms of abfolution, al- ready quoted from their ritual, they join ' what* c ever evils the penitent himfelf has liifFered, 1 with the paflion of our Lord Jefus Chrift, to- 1 wards his obtaining remiiTion of fins, and the ' reward of eternal life.' In purfuance of this doctrine they have an extraordinary law, pe- culiar to themfelves, exprefs'd in the words of pope Clement III. and inferred in the *f- body of the canon law : wherein it is decreed, with re- gard to ' thofe who mall take publick pfcftittites ' out of the flews, and marry them, that tins ' fhall avail to the forgivenefs of their fins * F and * Con. Trid. Scff. XIV. cap. 9. f Inter opera charitatis non minimum eft, crfantcm ab erroris femita revocare. Statuimus, ut omnibus, qui publicas mulieres de lupanari extraxerint, et duxennt in uxores ; quod agunc, in re- miffionem proficiat peccatorum. Deer. Gregcr. lib. IV. tit, l< C 42 ] and that for this reafon ; c that among works of c charity it is none of the leaft to call back wan- 1 derers from the error of their ways/ To this do- ctrine likewife has been owing the fenfelefs fuper- ftition of pilgrimages, to our Lady of Loretto, to St. J ago di Cotnpojlella, to the holy fepulchre, and a number of other fandlified perfons and places. In which pilgrimages, many of them impofed in penance, as well as others voluntary, men have left their families, fquander'd away their eflates, deftroy'd their health, and ufefulnefs, and often life itfelf. Erafmus has, with inimitable fpirit and judgment, expofed thefe follies. I mention them, and the other particulars before named, as amazing inftances of the prefumption of the Romifh clergy, and of the real power accruing to them by boldly perfevering in that pre- fumption. They take to themfelves the preroga- tive of God, in declaring that fuch and fuch things fhall avail to the pardon of fins, when God himfelf has made no fuch promife. And, as we have before feen, they have the impious prefumption to afcribe reconciliation with God to their own arbitrary abfolutions. They make the effect of abfolution itfelf to depend upon their own kind intention. They will not allow that the Moil High can refufe what they grant, or grant what they have a mind to refufe. i\nd yet all this is cover'd with the fpecious pretence of divine authority and commiffion. In coh- fequence of all this, they lay upon the people what injunctions they pleafe, by way of fatif- faction for fin : and the inconfiderate people, concluding that thefe mull: be extraordinary men indeed, who perfifl in the claim of fuch ex- traordinary [ 43 ] traordinary powers as by commiiTion from God himfelf, and who appeal to fcripture for it, which fcripture they themfelves are not permitted to look into ; are before they are aware hurried in- to an acknowledgment of their fpiritual powers, and an obedience to all their injunctions. Which obedience is indeed the more eafy, becauie the things on which the church of Rome lays the greateft ftrefs in this doctrine of fatisfaction, are vilibly fuch as may be complied with by men of carnal minds -, who will fubmit to any cha- ftifements and external difficulties, provided they may be excufed from the trouble of fubduing and mortifying corrupt inclinations. Let them but have their way here, and they will give up all power into the hands of the clergy : and fo likewife will weak ignorant people of better prin- ciples, in the hopes of having eternal happinefs fecured to them by thefe favourites of heaven. And thus is the very point gained, to which the ambitious clergy turn their whole views. Power, extenfive temporal power, is the dar- ling object of thefe men's defires. And they enlarge their claims on a fpiritual account, on purpofe to increafe their power in a temporal refpect ; going on from one ftep to another, till they feem to think themfelves as gods over the reft of the world. Thefe are the men, who are for crufhing all fuch as in the lean: differ from the fafhionable doctrines and ceremonies, to which they themfelves are indebted for their grandeur : and, inftead of foftening matters, out of a tender regard to their brethren's weak- nefs 3 as by virtue of their character they are F 2 obliged [ 44- ] obliged to do, take advantage of every little dif- ference, to aggrandize themfelves by widening the breach. They encourage the impofing of needlefs difficulties upon their brethren - 3 where- by they prevent much of their ufefulnefs to the ftate : and when once fuch burdens are laid on, they can never find a feafonable or proper time to have them removed, but employ all their in- fluence to keep them fa ft bound. 1 might have added ; that they are not content to lay fmaller difficulties upon their brethren ; but that they perfecute with the utmoft cruelty, even unto death, for meer differences in fpeculation ; fo little can they bear to be look'd on as any thing lefs than mailers of the consciences of all man- kind. But the cruelty of the Romiih perfec- tions is a copious fubiect : and is committed to one, who I doubt not will handle it to your latisfaftiori. When men arrogate thus to themfelves the prerogative of the divine Being, and even a fu- periority to him, pretending that he cannot for- give where they do not or will not -, and when it appears that in all thefe pretenfions they chiefly aim at temporal power ; no wonder that deifm abounds ; no wonder, that in Rome par- ticularly, the feat of the pope, who of all others arrogates the higheft power to himfelf, there are fo many deifts, and fo many atheifts. If this be chriftianity, it is natural for a man to fay, I will be any thing elfe rather than a chriftian. And even in proteftant countries ; by how much the more the power of the priefts in thefe re- fpects is cried up, by fo much the more danger is [ 45 ] is there of men's calling off all regards to the chriftian religion. For the improvement of wliat you have been hearing, let me intreat you to be thankful to God; whofe great goodnefs beftows upon you the ineftimable blefling of liberty to confult his word, for your inflruction and comfort. By this i acred record, which you have in your own hands, you are taught quite other doctrine con- cerning repentance and remiffion of fins, con- feflioh and abfolution, than the church of Rome teaches. Be exhorted to follow the directions there laid down. And let not what you have now heard, concerning the corruptions of the church of Rome, keep you back, but rather excite you, to a ferious confeflion of your fins before God, with abhorrence of them, and refolutions and the moil earneft endeavours againft them. Let it excite you to feck abfolution from that great and wife, that juft and yet gracious governor, whom by your fins you have offended, and * with whom alone there is forgive nefs, that he may be feared. Be not afraid to go to God him- felf, in the name of Jefus Chrift. Afk of him the pardon of your fins: and you will not be denied. Let it be the fincere defire of your hearts, and endeavour of your lives, to pleafe him : and whenever in any refpect you have of- fended him, do not cherim or palliate the evil of which you have been guilty: do not plead for it, or harbour it in your affections -, and dare not to repeat it in your practice : but hum- ble yourfelves before him againft whom you have * Pfal. CXXX. 4. [ 46 ] have finned : implore his mercy in the forgive- nefs of it, and his gracious affiftance to get rid of its power. And whereinfoever you have of- fended againft your fellow creatures ; if the of- fence requires a particular acknowledgment, make that acknowledgment to him whom you have offended, and make all the reparation you are able : and if he has a grain of goodnefs in him, he will do his duty in a hearty forgive- nefs : however you will net fail of acceptance with God, and of that peace and comfort, which naturally follow the discharge of your own duty. If any man has by his follies fo involv'd him- felf, that he knows not how to direct his con- duct : let him confult any wife and good man, whether minifter or not minifter, it matters not; and get all the affiftance he can for his guidance, and for reftoring the comfort of his mind. Such a confeffion as this, upon extraordinary occafions, no ferious chriftian, of any denomination what- ever, can think improper. But then remember: that you are to follow this advice fo far only, as it fhall approve itfelf to your own deliberate judg- ment, from its conformity to reafon and fcrip- ture : that a grave experienced perfon, of any employment in life, may be very ufeful by his advice : but that no man, of any character, can oblige you to follow it in obedience to him ; or, without breaking in upon the authority of God himfelf, pretend to give abfolution from fin up-* on fuch obedience, as the Romifh priefts do. If I am fpeaking to any of the deluded vota- ries of that corrupt church ; I wou'd molt ear- neftly intreat them to fatisfy their minds with true [ 47 ] true repentance towards God, reftitution to their neighbour, and real amendment of life ; with- out any anxiety about confefling to a prieft, or receiving his abfolution. Be fo good to your own fouls, as to believe the words of Chrift him- felfj who does not infift upon fuch penances and fdtisfaclions as your priefts lay upon you : * Come unto me, all ye that labour arid are heavy laden, and I will give you reft :-j- Him that cometb unto me, I will in no wife cajl out. You want no other mediator to appear before God in your behalf j no prieft, to make or to repeat that atone- ment, which he himfelf has completely made already, and which he made || once for alL He is able to fave to the uttermofl all that co?ne unto God by him ; Jeeing he ever liveth, to make ifitercefftonfor them. He has directed his apoftle to allure us, that \ if we conjefs our fins, he is faithful and jujl to forgive us our fins, a?id to cleanfe us from all unrighteoufnefs, And herein he does not make that difference which the council of T^rent makes -, of fins before, and fins after baptifm. Nor is there in this, or any other text in the whole new teftament, any mention or intimation of the necefiity of confeffion to a prieft, or of fubmitting to his arbitrary penances, in order to abfolution. The confelTion is to be made to God ; as the abfolution is to come from him. To conclude. Let us all, both minifters and people, converfe daily with the facred oracles ; which will be our fureft defence againft corrup- tions of all kinds. My reverend brethren in the miniftry, 1 am fatisfied, are too wife to be dif- pleafed * Matt. xi. 28. f John vi. 37. (j Hcb. X. 10. ix. 12. t 1 John i q. [ 48 ] pleafed at being put in mind of the impor- tance of this duty : its importance to their efta- blifhment as chriftians and proteftants, and to their ufefulnefs as minifters. And if chriftians in general would make it their practice to ftudy the fcriptures with impartial minds, we mould have no alarms of popery : for fo long as this practice is kept up, it is impoffible that the corrupt doctrines of the church of Rome mould be entertain'd. FINIS. f?fe GVD cYD CVe> CYD G)fo GV3 CYt) GV3 ttttittZMttttN&£Sv&~ r \ R O M. iv. 4. Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace \ but of debt. II AT part of the fubjeft a- gainft Popery which falls to my lot in this exercife, is to ftate and confute the doctrine of the Romifi church concerning the merit of good works, and the nature of a Tinner's juftification before God ; or the way and method in which he may find favour and acceptance with him. The words I have now read will lay a fufficient founda- tion for the following difcourfe, if you con- sider how they Hand connected with the con- text. St. Paul, the great apoftlc of the Gen- tiles, in fiances in the example of Abraham, the father of the faithful, that eminent pat- tern of faith and truft in God, that he was jujlified by faith, and not by works 3 for if he had been juftified by works, he had had whereof to glory, but not before God : but the fcripturc faith > Abraham believed God, A 2 and [4 .J and it was counted to him for right eoufnefs* Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. This doctrine is of a more evangelical and practical nature than fome that have gone before, in which your eternal falvation is nearly concerned. It's no trifling or indif- ferent matter, or mere fpeculation which has no influence upon practice, on what you build your hope of eternal life, whether on the merits of Chrijl, or your own merits in conjunction with his. If men were well acquainted with the holy fcriptures, had but a juft veneration for them, and did but pay a due regard to their plain declarations, one would think that a few fuch paffages as this in my text, might be fufficient to convince any unprejudiced perfon what the fcripture doctrine is, and fo determine the controverfy between us and the Papifts. But feeing they are confcious the Bible is againft them, no wonder they keep it out of fight as much as poffible, and will not truft the common people with the free ufe of it. However, fince they acknowledge it to be in part their rule of faith, and we own it to be our only and intire rule, we muft form our notions of every doctrine of faith according to that revelation. Whatever becomes of their un- written tradition, we are fure * all fcripture is given by injpiration of God, a?id is pro- fitable * 2 Tim. iii. 16. Ifa. viii. 20. , [ 5 ] fit able for detinue, for reproof for corre- ction^ for inftruHion in righteoujhefs. 'To the law and to the teftimony> if they /'peak not according to this word y it is becaufe there is no light in them. I lhall begin with confidcring the Popifli doctrine concerning the merit of good works, and obferve the following method. Firjl, I ihall lay down fome things for the ftating of it, to prevent miftakes. Se- condly, Prove that to be the doctrine of their church which I (hall charge them with. Thirdly, I mail fhew that there can be no- thing meritorious in the fight of God in the beft works of good men : and, Lafly, hint at the evil tendency, and mifchievous confe- quences of the contrary doctrine, which is ajuft prejudice againft it. I. Firjl, I fhall lay down fome things for ftating the doctrine. And Firfl, We mufl diftinguifh between iuch works as are done before ju/1 if cation a??d grace, and thofe which are performed afterwards -, and between what they call a merit of congruity, and a merit of condign/ ty. By the former, they mean luch works as defer ve a reward, not indeed out of any obligation ariling from juftice, but out of a principle of fitnefs, and the free bounty of God. By the latter, they mean fuch works as do in and of them- felves, and in point of ftrict juftice, deferve the reward. This higher kind of merit they only [6] only afcribe to the good works of juftified perfons, who have had a principle of grace communicated to them. As for thofe works done before grace, fome of their fchool- men affert that a merit of congruity belongs to them, or that they deferve to be rewarded with pardon, and fupernatural grace. But this is ftrange kind of doctrine, and ar- gues grofs ignorance both of the condition of human nature, in its prefent fal'n ftate, and the extent of gofpel grace. The fcripture reprefents men in their natural ftate as dead in trefpajfes and fins, alienated from the life of God. The carnal mind is enmity againjl God, not jiibjeB to the law of God, nei- ther indeed can be. c They that are in the fefi cannot pleaje God. We need pre- venting grace to enable us to perform every thing that is morally good. Whatever is done without it partakes of the nature of fin, and is fo far difpleafing to him, inftead of meriting any thing from him. Befides, they feem equally ignorant of the riches and ex- tent of gofpel grace. God is always ready to affift our weak and honeft endeavours. He does not require that we fhould fet about any duty in our own ftrength, unaflifted by his grace, and he will not be wanting to thofe who are not wanting to themfelves. But if finners think themfelves fufficient for every duty, without an humble dependance on divine grace, they difcover fo much pride and ignorance, that inftead of fecuring the divine [7] divine favour and acceptance, they will cx- pofe themfelves to his higheil refentment. I ihall not in lift longer upon this, becaufe the council of Trent denies that there is any merit of congruity in this kind of works. Some have wondered at the reafon of it, becaufe this fort of merit is as much aflerted by fome of thofe fchool-men who were fa- voured by them as the other of condign ity, and there is as much reafon why they mould allow the one as the other. The learned Dr. Allix does, as I think, ailign the true caufe of this, viz* that there is not fo much to be got by the former as the latter. If works done before grace could merit grace, then the power of conferring it would not belong to the facrament of penance and their other facraments, which the priefts only have the adminiftration of; and for a well known reafon they are willing to keep the power in their own hand, that the people may have a flaviih dependance on them. But it's otherwiie with their doctrine of the merit of condign ity. They cannot renounce this without overthrowing: the foundation of in- diligences, and fo jufiifying the Reforma- tion begun by Luther. By this means the Popes and Monks would lofe their credit, and the intire revenue of their indulgences. This was a fufficient reafon why that mer- cenary church fhould make a difference be- tween the one kind and the other. I obferve [ 8 ] I obferve Secondly, That thofe works, which many of them lay the greatefl ftrefs on, and place the greatefl: merit in, are not truly good. They ufually confift in penan- ces and pilgrimages, in paying for mafTes, in endowing churches and monafteries, in fay- ing fo many Ave-Maries, and in paying their devotions to faints and angels before images and relicks, with the like trumpery. How little do they ever infift on the weightier matters of the law and gofpel, on juftice, faith, and the love of God, on the duties of fpiritual mortification and felf-denial ? They will fooner forgive the commiffion of the grofTeft fins and the neglect of the moft fub- ftantial moral duties, than the omiffions of their own fuperflitions. Thefe things are at beft but will-worfhip, the fancies and con- trivances of crafty and covetous men, which have no foundation either in reafon or fcrip- ture. They are fo far from being meritori- ous in the fight of God, that it's difficult to conceive how any who have an high value for fuch things, and who place a great con- fidence in them, can be in a juftified flate. Tho' they who abound in this kind of works may merit much of priefts and Jefuits, it ar- gues grofs ignorance of God's nature and moral perfections, to think that they can be of any account with him. He may juftly fay to fuch, Who has required this at your hands ? Bring no more fuch e vai?z oblations, they they are an offence and an abomination to me. J acknowledge Ttbirdly^ That fome of the Popifh writers db not carry the doctrine of merit fo high as others do. They write with greater decency and modefty ; their notions, at leait in words, arc lets aflutiiing and mocking : But then thefe arc ufually fucli as have wrote in Protcftant countries, or in filch where there has been a great mixture of Proteftants with Papifts, or when they have been forced to betake themfelves to colour and art in aniwering thof. that have wrote againft them, or when the blefled defign of making new converts has been fet on foot. Then thev have made as artful a reprefentation of their doctrine as poffible, that it might look like the doctrine of Pro- teftants, that fo the unwary reader might be the more eaiily deceived and impofed on. But whatever leeming modefty and modera- tion there may be in thefe representations, and however they may come forth ap- proved and recommended by great names, when they have had a turn to ferve ; I can- not think there has been much fincerity in them ; efpecially when they have been pub- lhhcd as the doctrine of their church, and not as their own private fentiments. My reafon is this ; when the fame moderate no- tions have been preached and published bv others of lefs note, who could not fo well . B ferve C 10] ferve the intereft of mother church, they have been cenfured and condemned for them, and fufpecled of herefy, and if they had lived where Popery had been triumphant, would have been in danger of the Inqui- fition. I fear many of thefe writers /peak lies in hypocriJy y and come to weak and ignorant men with all the deceivable?iefs of unrigh- tconjhejs. This at leafl we may fafely fay without breach of charity, that we muft not judge of the doctrine of the Romifh church by the private opinions of a few of their doctors, but by the decrees of their Popes and Councils, and by the Catechifms which are taught among them with publick approbation. But leaft any mould think that we Pro- teftants are enemies to good works, I mall in the fourth place fuggeft, what we hold concerning their nature and neceffity. We readily own works truly good have an in- trinfick excellency in them, and are highly pleafing and acceptable to God : Such as the duties of piety and devotion, juftice and charity, temperance and fobriety. When they flow from a principle of faith in Chrift, of love to Gou and duty, and are animated with the hope of the divine favour and acceptance, they are fuch facrifices with which he is well pleafed. They are inftan- ces of obedience to his command, and are our [ » ] our conformity to him in the moral per- fections of his nature. They arc profitable to our {elves and others, and an ornament to our holy profeflion, and have a tendency to excite others, at the fight of them, to glo- rify our heavenly Father. We alio afiert the ablblute necejfity of good works to our eternal falvation, both by the conftitution of God, and in the reafon of things, as they are a necefTary qualification for our future bleifednefs. Chrijt will come in flaming Jive to take vengeance on them who know not God, and obey not the go/pel. He will be the author of eternal falvation only to tho/e that obey him. To them who by a patient continuance in well-doing, feek for glory, honour and immortality, he will give eternal life. They who do his commandments have a right to the tree of life. Without holinefs ?io man fiall fee the Lord. Faith without works is dead, and can neither juftify us here, nor iave us hereafter. We alfo hold that good works are of a rewardable nature, and fhall be rewarded with eternal life. God as the wife and gra- cious governor of the world has been pleafed to annex the fanction of rewards and puuifh- ments to his holy laws. He promifes to re- ward the obedient, and threatens to puniih the difobedient, and we may iafely depend upon his fidelity to thefe his promifes and threatnings. You read of the reward of (he B 2 inheritance, [ ff ] inheritance* The kingdom of heaven is given to children, therefore it's an inheritance \ but it is given to obedient children as a re- ward. The apoftle tells us, that every one fid all receive his own reward according to his own labour, -j* We may fay to good men as he does to the believing Hebrews.^ God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which you have Jhewed to his name. Our Saviour, as the righteous judge \ will give the crown of righteoufnefs to thofe who have fought the good fight, who have finifhed their courfe, and kept the faith. It is the wifdom, holinefs, and goodnefs of God, and not ftridtjuftice, that has fettled the connection between the precept and the promife, the duty and the reward. The fame holds true concerning the pro- portion as well as the quality of the reward. There will be different degrees of reward as well as of punilhment. As one flar differs from another flar in glory, foit will be at the rejurre&tion of the jufl. T'hey that be wife jkall fhine us the brightnefs of the firma- 7nent -, and they that turn many to righteouf- nefs as the flar s for ever and ever.\\ As a man fbws Jo Jhall he alfo reap : He that Jbw- eth fparingly /hall reap fparingly. God in his infinite wifdom has fccn fit to make iuch a connection as this -, tho 5 the loweft degree * Col. iii. 24. f 1 Cor. iii. 8. I Heb. vi. 10. |J Dan. xii. 3. C >3 J degree of heavenly glory will be vaitly mort than a recompenle tor the heft fervico, and the greatcll inflerings of the preient life ; whieli ihew'b that aJl is of grace, and not <>f merit ; unlef, by merit we mean no more, than that it became the wifdom and holi- nefb of God to make and fulfil fuch pro- miles, and to iettle fuch a connection be- tween our duty and our reward ; and then this will be chiefly a difpute about words. However, feeing the word merit has fo proud a found in the mouth of a iinfnl creature, and has been and itill is abufed to ferve very bad purpofes, it is highly fit that it mould be intirely dropt, and no pre- tences made to it. Fifthly, That which we deny in this con- troverfy is this : That the good works of the beft of men do in their own nature and in point of flriB jujlice deferve thofe rewards God has promiied to them. We thank- fully acknowledge that he will reward grace already received, and improved, with far- ther degrees of grace here, and with eternal life hereafter. ¥0 him that hath (hall be given, and he pall have more abundantly. God refifls the proud, but gives grace to the humble. All this is of grace and not of debt ; for there fcems a contradiction in the verv terms, to aflat, as they do, that one degree of grace mould merit another, fince era and merit are utterly inconfiftent. Wc [ *4 ] II. We come Secondly to prove, that the doctrine of the merit of condignity is the doctrine of the Romifh church. The coun- cil of Trent (which was confirmed by the Pope, and is generally received as the ftan- dard of modern Popery ,) afferts, * That the good works of a jujiified perjbn are ?iot Jb the gifts of God, that they are not alfo the merits of the ju/lifed per fori $ and that he being ju- jiified by the good works performed by him through the grace of God and merits of Jefus Chrijl, who/e living member he is, does truly merit increafe of grace, and eternal life ; and denounces an Anathema againft thofe who hold the contrary. Here feems a ftrange mixture of truth and error, and a plain in- confiftency in this their determination. -f-A learned prelate obferves, that they fpeak fo uncertainly of this point, as evidently (hews they either knew not themfelves what they would eftablifh, or were unwilling others fhould know it : To ferve fome purpofes they might have in view, they left thefe things in great darknefs and confufion. But we may more eafily judge of their fenfe by their after- writers, who were the great champions of the Roman caufe, and who are not afraid to fpeak more plainly. Dr. AU lix tells us, that Vega, who wrote his books of juftification during the time he was at the * Concil. Trid. Seflf. 6. Can, \i, f Archbifhop Wakeu [>5] the council, maintains, that the council by truly meriting did underftand meriting de corJ';gno\ and the do&ors of the Inquifition did molt evidently declare as much, when they expunged out of feveral books ol their church fuch proportions as heretical, which denied the merit of good works. T j give you an inftance or this, which has been taken notice of by feveral * learned men : In the Index Expurgatoriits, which was fet out according to the order of the council, in the year 1584, the two following que- ftions and anfwers, taken out of a publick office of their church, are ordered to be ex- punged. Queft. Doll: thou believe that thou (halt come to heaven, not by thy own merits, but by the virtue and merits of Chrift's paffion ? Anfw. I do believe it. ^ueft. DoA thou believe that Chrift died for our falvation, and that none can be fa- ved by their own merits, or any other way, but by the merits of his paffion ? AnfiD. I do believe it. How could thefe men, who pretend to believe the fcriptures, without fhame and blufhing reject iuch queftions and anfwers, as favouring of heretical pravity ? No won- der they contend for another rule of faith befides the fcripture, by which to judge of herefy ? * Ufier, Stiltingfltets [ i6 ] herefy ; or elfe faith in Chrift, and his merits as the only Saviour, which is one of the moft clear and fundamental doctrines of the gofpel, could never bear fuch a reprefen- tation. Maldonate the Jefuit alfo afferts, that we do as truly and properly, when we do well through God's grace, merit rewards, as we do dejerve piinijhment what without this grace we do ill. If there be an inconliftency in thefe words, and one part contradict an- other, let the Jefuit be anfwerable for it. Another of their authors, Andredius, fpeaks to the fame purpofe, that eternal blejjedneji is no lejs due to the good works of good men, than eternal torments are to the evil works of wicked men -, and that eternal life is Jo the re- compenfe of good works, that it is not fo much given of God freely , and out of liberality, as it is out of debt 5 and that the nature of merit and grace not being confijlent, the reward is to be reckoned not of grace but of debt *f\ The fa- mous cardinal Bellarmine expreffly afferts, that our good works do merit ex condigno eter- nal life, and not only by reafon of God's co- venant, but alfo by reafon of the work iff If % I {hall mention but one more who goes yet farther. Vafquez, thinking that Bellarmine had attributed too little to good works, is not afhamed to affert, that thofe ofjuji per- Jons are of themjelves without any covenant, or •f- See Mr. Clarkfons Morn. Exer. p. 4.07, X Bellar. de Jull. Lib. 5. cap. 17. [ 7-] or acceptation, worthy tf the reward &f eter- nal life, and hare an equal value of condig- nity to the obtaining of eternal glory \ and that there . m '* no aa of dignity to their works by the merits or per/on of Chrijl and that tbo God's promtfe is annexed to the Works of jujl men, yet it belongs no way to the merit of them, but comet b rather to the works them/e/ees, which are not only worthy, but itorious. From whence he draws this re- markable conclufion : Seeing the works of juft men do merit eternal life as an equal re- compense and reward, there is no need that any other condign merit, ' fuch as that of Chili's, flmtld interpofe, to the end that eternal life may be rendered to them : with more iiich vile fluff, that I (ball not ftay to transcribe or repeat. * Now if this were not the doctrine of the Roman church, we may well fay, as the formentioried prelate does, we are a little furprized that no Index Expurgato- rius, no authentick cenfure has ever taken notice of fo dangerous a prevarication ; but contrariwife thele are the great authors of their party, approved, embraced, and almoft adored by the greatefl and moft learned of that communion. But befides this plain language of their moft eminent writers, it is farther evident, that the doctrine of proper merit muft be the doctrine of their church, fince feveral of C ' their * See Wakei\ Expof. Dod. C. E. pag. 22. [ -I*. ] their other acknowledged doctrines do fup- pofe, and are founded upon this. If no works are properly meritorious, then there can be no pretence for works of fupererogation, nor for thofe pardons and indulgences which are given forth upon that fuppofition ; and fo the poor wretches will be cheated both of their pardon and money too, and by truft- ing to fo broken a reed, v/ill I fear be left to bear the punifhment of their own fins. It's well known that the Papifts pretend fome of their faints have been, and are fo very good, that they have merit more than Efficient for their own falvation -, they have fiich a furplufage of it, as is a rich trea- iiire laid up in the church, under the Pope's lock and key, which he gives forth, and transfers to others who can well pay for it. He is for engroffing the power of every thing, by which he can turn the penny, and make merchandife of the fouls of men. But there is not the leaft foundation in fcrip- ture or reafon for this kind of works, or the leaft hint how the merit of them can be transferred from one to another, or how the power of this comes to be lodged in the Pope's hand. They were thtfoolijh vir- gins that defired the wife to give them of their oil, but theft were too wife to part with any, left they mould not have enough for themfelves and them. Our Saviour has taught us when we have done all to fay : We [ i9 ] We are unprofitable /errant s, and have done nothing but what was cur duty to do. Since then tome of the - I parts of Popery are founded on this doctrine of merit as well as that of purgatory, it is fufficiently evident, however lome may mince the matter, that this is an avowed doctrine of their church. I may further mention in proof of this, the matter of their private and publick de- votions. How often do they join the merits of faints with thofe of our blciTed Saviour, and plead the one as much as the other, as if they were upon a level? Nay, if we may judge by the frequency of their devotions to the Virgin Alary, one would conjecture that they had a greater dependance on the Mo- ther, than on the Son himfelf. It any ihould ask from whom did this proud do- ctrine take its rife, I anfwec, that tho' fome of the fathers did ufe this word merits yet not in the fenfe of the Popiih writers. They mean no more by it, than we do by the re- wardablenefs of good works, or that it's God's appointed way of obtaining eternal life : Or if any of them mould mean more than this, they are not our rule of faith, we lubmit to no human authority, nor regard the fentiments of men any further than they are agreeable to the unerring word of God. A learned divine, Dr. Clarkjbn, thinks that the pedigree of this darling doctrine may be calily derived from the Pharisaical yews, C 2 from, [ ?o ] , from whom he fays they have received a great part of their religion. The Pharijees were for infallibility, and of a magisterial impofing fpirit in matters of confcience, be- fore the Popes were born. As for the doctrine of merit, Camero cites a paiiage out of Maimonides, where he fays, that every man hath his Jins, and every man his merit s, and he that hath more merits than fins, is a jujl man -, but he that hath ?noreJins than merits is a "wicked in an. And that learn- ed author is of opinion that St. James had an eye to this error of the Pharifees, when he tells us, that * JVhofoever offends againji the law in one point is guilty of alL Notwithstanding all that I have faid to prove that this dodxine of merit, fince the council of c Ire?2t, is the eftablifhed doctrine of the church of Rome, yet I deny not, but there are feveral perfons in the vifible communion of that church, w T ho havejufter thoughts of God and themfclves, and more o * modefty and humility than to pretend to any merit in the light of God. -f Dr. Allix has fully proved that from the eleventh century to the beginning of the fixteenth, this was not the generally received doctrine of their church. Some of their Popes and canonifed faints have fpolcen againft it in as free terms, as v/e Proteftants could do. What can I fay to all this, but that if the corruptions of this ** Jair.e:. ii. ;o. -f See his Difcowfe of Merit. [ 21 ] this church grow worfe and worfe ; if they lead men into grofs miftakes in matters of the laft importance; then the entring into, and continuing in her communion, muft be more and more unfife and dangerous. Let us not partake with her in bir /ins and hcreiies, leaft we partake with her in her threatened plagues and judgments. This change in her doctrine in one century from what it was in another, is a plain evidence how little juft pretence me has to infallibili- ty, li any mall aik how it came fo far to prevail, as at laft to be eftabiifhed by the council of Trent, the author I juft mention- ed gives us this account of it : Thomas Aquinas, who lived in the middle of the thirteenth century, was one of the firft who broached the doctrine of the merit of con- dignity. He maintains, that hecaufe of the operation and grace of the Holy Spirit, wrought in the faithful, from whence good vcorks do pro- ceed, their good works do me7"it ex condig?io. This, as the Dr. obferves, is lb very weak a foundation, that one might naturally draw from it a doctrine directly contrary to it; for if our works proceed from the grace of the Holy Spirit, we can merit nothing by them, the glory being due to him, and not to us. Notwithstanding this weak founda- tion, this man came afterwards to be ad- vanced into the calendar of their faints, and his writings to be admired and adhered to by [22] by fome of the orders of the church of Rome; and fome that were great fticklers for him, got poileffed of the Inquifition, and then they foon made ufe of this cruel and tyrannical power to crufh all that contended with them in matters of religion. This being the cafe, what wonder this error did foon prevail, when the terrors of that hell ifli tribunal did threaten all that durft oppofe it ; efpecially when you confider that much about the fame time the Monks got the power of hearing confeffions, and directing the confciences of men, maugre all the op- pofition of the fecular priefts ; they being in the interefc of 'Thomas Aquinas, and de- signing to advance the merits, and fo the wealth of their convents, took occafion, when in the tribunal of penance, to infufe this notion of merit into the minds of thofe who came to confeffion. By this means it fpread in the Roman church, and as it laid the foundation for their gainful doctrines of indulgences and pardons, and they be- gan to tafte the fweetnefs of them, we can't wonder that the council of ¥re?it eflabliih- ed it, and anathematifed all who fhould op- pole it. But whatever authority this doctrine may derive from that council, I come in the Third place to confute it, by mewing there is no ground for it in revelation or reafon. Firji, [ 23 ] Firfl, It is dircftly contrary to the plain and exprcis declarations of (cripture. How often are we told that we are laved by grace, through faitby and that not of our [ekes, it is the gift of God* And that not by works of rigbteoufnefs which we have done, but accord- ing to his mercy he frees us, by the wajhing of regeneration, and the wing of the Holy Gboft.'f When the apoftle fpeaks of eternal life, as oppofed to death, the change of the expreilion is very remarkable. Ttbe wages of fu is death, % hut eternal life is the gift of God through our Lord J ejus Chrijl : and a- gain, Grace reigns through rigbteoufnefs unto eternal life by J ejus Chrift our Lord.\\ If our falvation be of grace, it is no more of works, otberwife grace is ?io more grace ; and if it be of works, then it is no more grace, otherwije work is no more work** The belt of men in fcripture are reprefentcd as diiclaiming all pretence to merit, when they have to do with an holy and righteous God. Nehemiah was an excellent governor, and did many things for the honour of God and the good of his church ; yet he begs that God would /pare him according to the great nefs of his mercy .^^ So David was an holy and devout prince, but yet he acknow- ledges, that // God JJ:ould be Jlricl to mark iniquity, he could not jland before him ; and fo laces * Eph. ii. 8. f Tit. iii. 5. J Rom. vi. 23. 1| Rom. v. 21. ** Rom. .xi. 6. ft Neh. xiii. 22. [ 2 4 ] folaces himfelf in this thought, that there is forgive nefs with God that he may be feared. * St. Paul after his converfion was probably one of the bell men that ever lived, and yet he fpeaks of himfelf as the leaf of all faints, and owns that it was by the grace of God he was what he was. When he laboured more abundantly than the reft of the apoftles, it was not he, but the grace of God that was with him.\ The better men are, the more humble apprehenfions they have of themfelves ; they are ufually much in penitential confeffions of fins, and ear- neft iiipplications for mercy : they are look- ing for the mercy of our Lord Jefus Chrijl unto eternal life, and often begging that they may find mercy for themfelves and others, in a dying day, and in the judgment day. I am not infenfible that the Romanijls fometimes bring fcripture to fupport their doctrine of merit : But we may be as fure their interpretation cannot be the true fenfe, as we are that one place of fcripture does not contradict; another. Is eternal life fome- times called a reward? at another time it is called the gift of God, and therefore muft be a reward of grace. Is it ftiled a crown of righteou/hefs, that is owing to the purchale of Chrift, and to God's faithfulnefs to his promife, which is one branch of his juftice or righteoufnefs ? But then it was grace that made * Pfal, exxx, 3, 4. -J- 1 Cor. xv. 10. t H ] made the promife of lb great a reward. Again, When faints are laid to walk with Chrijl, for they are worthy, this worthinefs is an evangelical, and nor a legal one. It only denotes their qualification and meetnefs for the promiled bleflednefs, and not their de- fert of it. Theft and many fiich like ex- preflions declare the wiidom and holinefs, grace and goodnefs, bounty and liberality of our merciful God and father, and not the merit of thofe who are thus favoured by him. This will be further evident by consider- ing, Secondly, the reafon of things. None of the conditions and qualifications of merit are found in the beft works of good men. I would illuftrate this matter under a few particulars. Firjl, It feems impoffible to me that any creature, how excellent and glorious foever, fhould merit any thing at God's hand in a way of commutative ju/i ice, and that, becaufe he is a creature. There may be merit between one creature and ano- ther, but there can be none between the creator and his creatures. The angels and archangels, ferapliims and cherubims re- ceived their being and all their excellencies from God, and on him they depend for the conunuance of them : the greater thefe are, and the more glorious the works are, which they are capable of performing, the greater is their obligation, honour and happinefs. D They [ 26 ] They are indebted to him, and not he to them. They may be affnred indeed from his wifdom, goodnefs and faithfulnefs, that he will never put a period to their being and bleffednefs, but where would be the injuftice if he did ? He would only recal what at firft he freely gave, and was at li- berty to continue a longer or fhorter time, as it pleafed him. Thefe holy and excellent creatures are the molt humble ones, and are reprefented in fcripture in the loweft poftures of adoration, as vailing their faces before God's throne, and cafting their crowns down at his feet, afcribing bleffing and honour and glory to his perfections, and not to their own merits. Now if thefe noble creatures, that have never finned, have no pretences to merit, much lefe can fuch mean and finful creatures as we are. For, Secondly, We are fo far from meriting,, that we cannot fatisfy divine juftice for our paft and daily offences. We are finners both by nature and practice; in many things wq often offend, and are taught by our bleffed Saviour to pray for continual pardon. Now pardon and merit feem inconfiftent. If our prefent and future obedience could be per- fect and fpotlefs, this would be no more than our indifpenfible duty, and could be no fatif- faction to juftice for fin -, for the not running farther into debt is no payment of our old ones. How then can infolvent debtors pre- tend [ 2 7 ] tend to merit r Nay, fuppofe our good works could be a fitisf action, it can be no meritorious act only to pay our juft debts: But this is not the cafe with us. For, Thirdh, There are fitful defefh cleaving to our beft duties, which will not bear the ftrict eye and inflection of God's impartial juftice. There is that iniquity in our holy things, for which God might condemn us, if he mould enter into judgment with us. Were it not for Chrift's perfect atonement, and prevalent interceflion, there would be no hope of audience and acceptance. They are groisly ignorant of themfelves, who reckon that their beft works come up to the purity, fpirituality, and extent of God's righteous law, for that reaches to the thoughts and intents of the heart, to the principles and ends as well as the matter of our actions. Who dare lay, that he loves the Lord his God with all his heart, foul and ftrength, or that he ever performed one religious duty with- out any vain thought mixing with it ? How numerous are the defects of our beft graces and duties ? All pretences to finlefs perfection are the effects of pride and ignorance. If we fay we have no fin y we deceive our [elves and the truth is not in us. We have not yet felt the power of goipel truth ; that is the re- ligion of linners, and iuppofes us from firft to laft to be imperfect creatures. Integrity or uprightnefs of heart and life is the bell D 2 perfection [ 28 ] perfection we can attain to ; and it is our happinefs that we are under fuch a difpen- fation of grace, as accepts of fincerity in- ftead of legal perfection, as the term of life. Now fince our belt works cannot juftify themfelves at the bar of God's juftice, how can they juftify us before him, or merit any thing at his hand. — Yet further, The good that is done by us is not per- formed by our ownfrengtb, but by ftrength derived from above. The finful defect of our works is from ourfelves, but the good- neis £>f them, by which they are pleafing to God, is from him. It's by his grace we are what we are, and do what we do. We need both preventing and affiiting grace to enable us to do any thing that is fpiritually good. We have nofujjiciency of our own , but all our fujjiciency is of God. It is he that works in us both to will and to do of his own good pie a jure. Wc are alfo faid to be his ivorkmanfhipy created in Chrijl Jefus un- to good works. Now if we have nothing but what we have received, how unreafon- tible is it to boaft as if we had not received it ? Our adverfaries themfelves don't deny the affiftance of grace : But how that which is the effedt of another's grace can be merito- rious, is hard to underftand, efpecially how it can merit of him, from whom the grace itfelf was received. That by which we merit t 2 9 ] merit ought in all reafon to be our own, and not another's. I add to this, that our beft works can no way be profitable to God. Tho* we may rob him of" his juft rights by with-holding that homage and obedience which is his due, and tho' he is pleafed to accept our fincere but imperfect fervices, yet it's im- poffible to be profitable to him, as one man is py'ofitable to another, and as he who is wife is profitable to him/elf Is it any plea- Jiire to the almighty that thou art righteous, or is it any gain to him that thou makeft thy way perfect ?* If thoufinnefi, what doji thou againji him, or if thy tra?ifgrefjions be multiplied, what dofi thou unto him ? If thou be righteous, what givefi thou him, or what re&iveth he at thy hand ? I'hy wickednefs may hurt a 7?ian as thou art, and thy righteoufnefs may profit the fon of man. Tho' our goodnefs may extend to our fellow crea- tures, to the faints that are in the earth, it cannot extend to God. His bleflednefs is fo perfect and unchangeable, that it's not capable of any addition or diminution. Now in all proper merit, there is in fome fenfe an exchange of benefit. Benefits are given for benefits received. There is a vaft difference between the obedience and fufferings of our blefTed Saviour, and our befl fervices. Such was * Job xxii. 2, 3. and xxxv. 6, 7, 8 C 30 ] was the dignity of his perfon, that he both could and did make reparation for the in- jury done to the honour of God's law and government, and opened a way for the dis- play of his glorious perfections in our re- covery and falvation. He therefore may be faid truly to merit, tho* we cannot ; for his bufferings were a valuable consideration for the bleffings beftowed upon us. But fuch is our meannefs and poverty, and his all-fuf- ficiency and fulnefs, that proper merit can have no place on our part, in any of our tranfaclions with him. Once more, There is no proportion be- tween our belt works, and the rewards he has promifed, either in point of excelle?7cy or duration. This there ought to be, if the former in Ariel: juftice did deferve the latter. How mean and poor are our bell: fervices ! We work like ourfelves, like weak and im- perfect creatures, but the great God rewards like himfelf, as a free and noble benefactor, becoming the largenefs of his bounty and liberality. Do we believe the gofpel pro- mifesconcerning the greatnefs and excellency of the heavenly glory, that it exceeds all prefent thought and expreffion, for eye hath not jeen, nor ear heard, nor can it enter in- to the heart oj man, "what God hath pre- pared for them that love him ? Are we to behold his face in righteoufnefs and to bejdtif- Jied fed with his Ukenefs upon us ; to be in its pre/ence, where there is fulnefs of jo\\ and pie afu res for evermore? And can we be fa ftupidly proud and ignorant as to think our forry fervicea are a valuable consideration for all this gloiy ? How few are our good works, and of how fhort a eontinuanee ? If we began never fo foon, and continued never fo long, and fuffered never fo much in the fervice of God, all this would take in but the compafs of a few years, whereas the promifed reward is eternal and unchange- able. We are called by the God of all grace unto his eternal glory by 'J ejus Cbri/l, and are begotten again to the lively hope of an inheritance y incorruptible and undefiled y and that fade th not aw a y . Our light affiiclion, which is but for a moment -> worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. What can be more evident than that neither the fervices nor fuffer'mgs of the prcfent life are worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed. Let me now in the Fourth place fuggefl a few of the pernicious confequences that attend the doctrine of merit, and are a juft prejudice againft it. Fir ft ^ This tends to puff up the minds of carnal iinners with fpiritual pride. Tho' our adverfaries own in words the influence of grace, yet if we can fo improve this grace, as to merit eternal life at the hand of God, this [ 32 ] this thought will naturally elate the fpirit, and gives ground for boafting, which in our fal'n ftate we are very fubjecl: to. We are poor and proud, too apt to think we are fomething, when we are nothing. Tho' pride was never made for apoftate man, yet there are fad remains of it in all of us. How prone are ignorant finners to truft to and depend on themfelves, how gladly would they be their own faviour and happinefs, and not be obliged to look out for fome- thing to recommend them to the divine favour and acceptance ? The religion of Popery is too much the dictate of corrupt nature in all unrenewed men ; but it's a temper abhorred of God, directly oppofite to the true fpirit of the gofpel and the ftated method of our recovery and falvation. Man fell by pride, and the rirft right ftep to- wards his reftoration muft be in deep humi- liation and poverty of fpirit ; for God refills the proud. The poor Publican that fmote upon his breaft, faying, God be merciful to me a firmer y was jujlijied before the proud Pharifee, that thanked God he was not as other men. Secotidly, This doctrine derogates from the merits of J ejus Chrijl. Tho' the Papifts do not render them wholly ufelefs and fu- perfluous, yet as fome of them reprefent the matter, they were only neceffary to procure the firft grace for us y for after that, they tell us [ 33 ] us wc may merit for oilrfelves both incre/ue of erace here, and eternal life hereafter. • And is not tins to fet afide Chnft and his merits, as of little ufe in the Chriftian lite p Whereas we ought from ntft to laft, to live hv the faith of the Son of Gal, a lift of con- stant dependance on his fatisfiction and me- diation. To fay, as lbme of them do, that Chrift merited that wc might merit, or that by his merits our good works become me- ritorious, is a notion to me altogether ftrange and unintelligible. I can eafily ap- prehend how it may be confident with the perfections of God's nature and government, to accept the weak and imperfect fervices of fuch imperfect creatures as we are, for the fake of ChrilVs perfect righteoufnefs and atonement (and indeed I don't fee how it would be becoming a righteous and holy God to accept of any tiling but what was either perfect in itfelf, or for the lake of that which is fo.) But how Chrift's merits, which are without us, can make any intrinfick al- teration in the works that are done by us, fo that with them our works are merito- rious, and without them are not, is what I cannot understand. They are intrinfically the fame, whether weco.iiidcr his merits or not. He merited for us, and is willing we fhould have the benefit of it ; but it was never his defign to make us our own Saviour - y we ought to abhor every doctrine that dero- E £ate$ E 34 ] gates from the honour of our bleiTed Re- deemer, and would fet us upon a level with him. 'Thirdly, This has a tendency to mijlead men, in matters of the greateft moment and importance ; for of that nature are the con- cerns of our eternal falvation. I fear thofe who conceit they have any meritorious works of their own, and truft in them, will be found to build upon the fand, and will meet with a fatal difappointment. It's true our adveriaries own, that thefe works mull: be the effect of juiiifying grace ; but I greatly queition whether any who have felt the power of divine grace, or know the grace of God in truth, can believe their works are of a meritorious nature ; for true grace humbles the foul, and lays it low in the light of God. It's evident, as I have already hinted, that the works they lay the greateft ftrefs on, are of little account with him y they are at beft but the dead form and image of religion. How dangerous mult it be for men to build their hope upon fuch a foundation to the neglect of Chrift, ferious, vital -and practical religion ! Fourthly y This notion cafis a damp upo?2 y and deftroys the hope of the moll humble and ferious Chriflians: They have that deep fenie of their own imperfection, weaknefs and un- worthinefs, that if they were to have no more grace here or glory hereafter than what they could [ 35 ] could merit at the hai God, they would foon lie down in (brrow and defpair. • ne» times the number and aggravation of their fins are imprefled with that v it upon their minds, that they hnd it difficult to b there is grace enough in Cod, and merit enough in Chrift to pardon and lave them. However while they look upon eternal life as the gift of" God and purchafe of Chrift, there are happy feafons when they entertain a lively profpect of it; but if it were to be their own purchafe, they know fo much a- gainft themfclves, as would cut off all hope and expectation. I (hall only add, that the doctrine of me- rit prepares the way, and lays a foundation for feveral other Popifh doctrines, which are of a pernicious nature ; fuch as works of fupererogation, pardons, and indulgences, and the like. If we can't merit for ourfelves, much lefs can we merit for others, by doing more than is neceilary for our own falvati- on. What then will become of the ftock of merit in the trcafurv of the church, which, as von have heard, the Pope gives out upon feveral occasions to thofe who have: no merit of their own, and can pay for it ? Tho' the lofs of thefe doctrines would be a manifeft prejudice to his Holinefs, and the whole army of Monks and Friarb that have a dependance on him, yet I believe it will be no real detriment to the fouls of men. E 2 It's [ 36 ] It's more than time that I fliould fub- joiri a few things upon the other part of my fiibject, concerning the nature of a finner's juflification before God. This is a doctrine of great importance in the Chriftkn religion, which was very much darkened, and ob- fcured, and perverted by the Papifts before the Reformation. Their doctrine of human fatisfaclion and penances had a tendency either to diftreis the confciences of awakened finners, or to lay them afleep by dangerous opiates, inftead of leading them to the blood of Chrift, the only healing balfam for a w r ounded fpirit, After what I have already faid of their doctrine of merit, I need not be large here ; for if no works of ours, internal or external, are perfect and meritorious, they can never be the ground of our jufli- fication before God. The Papifts feem to me to confound fa notification with juftifi- cation. Tho' they mention the righteouf- nefs of Chrift, and the remiffion of fins as neceflary ingredients in our juflification, yet they make our own inherent righteouihefs and good works as neceffary a part of it, which feems to fet them upon a level with Chrift's righteoufnefs and God's pardoning mercy. The council of 'Trent defines juflifi- cation to be not only remiffion of 'fins , hut the fanc~lification and renovation of the inner man y and makes the only formal caufe of our jufli- fication to be that righteoujnefs of God by which \ [ 37 ] which he makes us righteous, and by which ice are rem wed in the (birit of our mind* This council, which is much more free in enforcing her decrees and canons with a folemn curie than with folid rcafon, pro- nounces an anathema again ft any who ihall lay that men are juftifed eithrr by the alone imputation of Chriji\s righteoujhefs t or only by the remijjion of /ins, ex eluding grace and charity, which is diffufed in our hearts by the Holy Ghcjl, and inheres in them ; or that the grace by which we are jujiified is only the favour of God. This at belt is a very perplext and confufed account of this im- portant matter, and is apt to lead the igno- rant and injudicious into dangerous miftakes. I am unwilling needlefsly to multiply ver- bal difputcs, and therefore freely acknow- ledge that the word we tranflate juftify may jfignify to make one jit ft, and in fome few places of fcripture may admit this fenfe : but it's more commonly taken in zforenfick and judicial fenfe, and not in a moral one : to be juftified is to be accounted and treated as a righteous pcrfon, and not to be made inherently Co. It's oppoied to condemna- tion, and includes in it pardon of fin, and a right to lite. — We alio own the ?iecejjity of fandtification as well as juftification. We need the fpirit of Chrift to renew our na- tures, as well as his blood to expiate cur guilt * Con. Trid. Sefs. 6 cap 7. can. u [38] guilt. Without holinejs no man Jlo all fee the Lord. Only the pure in heart jhalljie God. The unrighteous Jhall not inherit the kingdom of God. The heavenly inheritance belongs only to thofe who arejanclifed by faith in Chrijl J ejus. It is the inheritance of the faints in light. We alfo arrirm that justifica- tion and ianftification are two invaluable bleflings that always go together. None are juftified but at the lame time they are fa nclified. Chrijl is made of God to them wifdom, righteoufn€fs y Jan&ificatim and re- demption. We read of being ivajljed, juftified and fanclified in the name oj the Lord J ejus, and by the j'pirit of our God. If we fpeak only of initial fa notification , it's the fame thing for fubftance with faith and repentance, regeneration and converfion, and is antecedently neceffary to our pardon and acceptance. But if by it we mean pro- grefjive mortification and holinefs, our dying more and more to fin and living unto righ- teoufhefs, then it's ccnfcquent on our juftifi- cation, and is the beft evidence of our being in a juftified ftate. Notwithstanding thefe conceflions, we ftill aflert that the fcriptures fpeak of ju unifica- tion and fanctification as two very diftinct and different privileges of the covenant of grace. The one removes the guilt of fin, and fo our obligation to punifhment ; the other 3 as far as it prevails, removes the power and [ 39 ] and pollution of it : tho' it be imperfect at rirfl, it is or fhould be of a progreilive na- ture. The one is God's gracious act towards us, the other is his good work in us. The one .caufes a change in relation to God and his righteous law, the other a real change in the temper and difpofition of the foul. In order to fet this matter in a little more clear and diftinct light, I (hall fugged: the following things. Firft, To juftify is the act of God as our righteous governor and judge ', and not as he is the author of inherent grace. Who fall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect ?* It is God that jujlifies. If is the fame God that j ujl ifies the circumcifon by faith, and the uncircumcif on through faith. None but that God, againft whom fin is mod im- mediately committed, can remit the penalty of his own violated law. He claims this as his prerogative. /, even I am he who blotteth out thy tran/grefious for ?ny own name fake. He promifes to be merciful to our un- righteoufnefs-, and ourftns and iniquities to remember no more. His perfections are fre- quently celebrated and adored upon this account. Who is a God like unto thee, par- doning iniquity, tra?ifgreJJion and fin ? It's he that in the gofpel covenant has fettled the terms of forgivenefs, or the way and method of finding acceptance with him - ? a*nd when we » * Rom. viii. 33: [ 4° ] we fincerely comply with thefe, he by the fame gofpel, as his inftrument, conflitutes and pronounces us to be in a juftified ftate. He treats us as fuch perfons now, and will declare us fuch by the fentence of our final judge in the great day. The gofpel is the rule of judgment. Thofe who are abfolved or condemned by it now, fhall be abfolved or condemned by Cbrift in that awful day. In vain are we juftified by our felves or others, if he condemn us ; for he that judges us is the Lord, and there is no appeal from that Tribunal. Secondly, The only meritorious caufe of our juftification is the perfect right 'eoufnefs and atonement of Chrift. lie trod the wine- prefs of his father s wrath alone, and of the people there was none with him. He is a compleat Saviour, nothing rauft be joined with him in point of fatisfaction and merit : he will not endure to have any thing in the creature fct in competition or co-ordi- nation with him. If he may not be our only Saviour, he will be no Saviour to us. How clear, full, and numerous are the fcrip- ttire declarations upon this head ? As by the difobedience of one many were made finners, Jo by the obedience of one many are made righteous. As by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation, even Jo by the right eoufnefs of one the free gift came upon [ 4-i ] upon all men to juftification of 11, We are laid to be jujiified through the redemp- tion that is in Cbrifi^ and to have re- demption through his blood, the forgivenefe of Jin, and to be jujiified by his blood. God having let him forth a propitiation, through faith in his blood, declares his rigbttoujnefs for the rem f ion of fins \ that he might be ju/1, and the jujiifier of him that bel in ye/iis.-f* He is made of God to us righteouf- nefs, as well ^fauB if cation, and is the Lord our rightcoufiejs, in whom we have both righteoufnefs and ftrength. He who knew no fin, was made fin, or a fin-offering for us, that we might be made the right ecufnefs of God in bim.% It was the fin and ruin of the Jews, that being ignorant of the righ- teoujnefs of God, or of this way of juftifica- tion appointed by God, they Went about to ejlablifh a righteoufnejs of their own; not fub- mitting themjehes to the right eoujnefs ofGod.\\ It's evident the gofpel juftification is not that of innocent creatures, for we can't deny the charge of guilt that is brought againft us. We are all iinners before God. Nor are we ]uftified by a mere act of arbitrary grace, for the promifes of forgivenefs are founded upon a foregoing fitisfaclion made to the juftice of God for fin by the fufferings and death of F Chrift. * Rom. v. 18, 19. •f- Rom. iii. 24, 25. Eph. i -. | 2 Cor. v. z\ {! Rom. x. 3. [ 4 z ] Chrift. Hence his blood is ftiled * the blood of the everlajling covenant, and all the pro* mifes are in htm, yea and amen to the glory of God.-f Chrift's righteoufnefs and atonement muft be pleaded by thofe who are interefted in it, in bar to their condemnation, and as their right and title to pardon and favour. Who is he that condemns ? It is Ckrijl that died, yea rather is rifen again. He was de- livered for our offences, and roje again for our jujiification, and now there is no con- demnation to them that are in him. This leads me to add, thirdly, Faith in Chrift is the appointed means of obtaining an intereft in his atone- ment, and fo is the condition of our actual justification. The ground and foundation of this glorious privilege, and the way and means of intereft in it, are two very diffe- rent things. The former muft be attributed to Chrift's righteoufnefs, and to that alone -, the latter to a vital and operative faith. The atonement in this way muft be received be- fore we can joy in God, as our reconciled God. They who believe not are condemned already^, and the wrath of God abides upon them. We frequently read of being jujlified by faith, and of the righteoufnefs of God by faith, and of faith being imputed to us for righteoufnefs. Chrift was offered up a pro- pitiatory * Heb. xiii. 20. f 2 Col. i. 20, % Rom. v. 1. iv. 2£. [43] pitiatory atoning facrifice on the crofs for fin, in our room and ftead. This facrifice has been accepted of the Father on our be- half. Upon our iincere compliance with the terms of the gofpel, we are interested in it, and receive faving advantage by it. It's by faith that awakened convinced finners flee for refuge to the hope fet before them. The faith that juftifies is neither a dead notion in the head, nor a groundlefs confi- dence and perfuafion that our fins are par- doned, and we are in a juftified ftate : But it's a cordial acceptance of Chrift in all his offices, and a resignation to him as Lord Re- deemer. It's a faith that works by love, that purifies the heart, is our victory over the Id, and is productive of gofpel obedience. St. Paul * and St. James do not really con- t: did: each , other, when the one fays, Abraham was '• fied by faith, a?id not by ' • er that he was juftified by « M by faith ortfy.*f Paul does n . . the feme kind of works that J , nor James of the fame kind of B / does. St. James's works are filch as flow from a viral principle of frith, bu; St. Paul's are the works of the law, filch as were done without faith, and fuch as were truited to as meritorious in the fight of God, and fo fubftituted in the room of Chrift and his righteoufnefs. In like manner F 2 the * Rom. iv. 2, 3. -j James ii. 24. [ 44 ] the faith St. James fpeaks of is only a dead notion, whereas that of St. Paul's is a vital principle, productive of gofpel holinefs and obedience. But neither our faith or beft works have any part in that which belongs to the Redeemer's office, much lefs mull: any pretended human fatisfactions and merit, mix with his merit and atonement. From this account of juftifying faith, we fee how unfafe and dangerous the Popifh doctrine of facramental juftification mult be. Bifliop Burnet in his expofition of the thirty-nine xAjticles takes notice how very lax their notions in this refpect are. His words are thefe : "That the life of the facra- mentSy if men do not put a bar to them, and if they have only imperfedl acls of for row ac- companying them, does Jo far compleat thofe which in the work of redemp- tion by Chrift he defigned to magnify as 1. His goodiwfs, grace, and mercy. This was it, that moved him not to [pare his own Son, but deliver him up for us all, Rom. viii. 32. Thus Ephef. i. 6, 7. To the praife of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved : In whom we have redemption thro his blood, the forgivenefs of fins according to the riches of his grace. Herein God comrnendeth his love to us, that while we were yet finners Chrift died for us, Rom. v. 8. So 1 John iv. 10. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved B 2 us, C «.] 2/j, # //th fermon in the morzixg $xcrcife\ againf Popay concerning jullification, I [ 2 3 ] and proof given of its being genuine, we mud make atonement for our felves here ; or if even providence itfelf by fudden death, or the lofs of reafon, prevents our doing it here, mull do it in the horrors of a purgatory ? Haft thou fo paid our debt, that there is a large part of it which we mull difcharge our felves, or our friends for us, before we can get to heaven, or elfe muft be caft into a prifon from whence we cannot go till we have paid the uttermoft far- thing, Matt. v. 26. which text the Profeffmt, &c. alledges for a proof of purgatory, and pretends the authority of St. Cyprian : of which hereafter. (3.) This purgatory-fire is dijhonourable to the Holy Spirit, whofe office is to apply the re- demption purchafed by Chrift, and whom the church of Rome owns to " be with the Father for if the guilt « c were not remitted, the finner could not ga F to | Qrotim and Hammond, * Pifc. of Purg, p. 20. i 42 ] < c to purgatory, nor have the favour of being cc puniihed there." , Thus I have considered thofe texts which our adverfaries feem to lay moft ftrefs upon, and which appear leafl impertinent to their purpofe. Nor fhould I think it worth while to mention any more of Bel/armings 1 9 texts ; but in com- pliment to our modern authors, I muft take no- tice of the fourth fcripture he alledges, which the Cardinal, itfeems, overlook'd, 1 Pet. hi. 18, 19, 20. where Chrift is faid, by his fpirit, to have gone and preached to the Jpirits hi prijon^ which jbme time were difobedient. * ,c Which prifon, but till our opponents have anfwered the fifth fer- mon in this courfe, upon the head of Jcripture and tradition, I may be allow'd to take no no- tice of their objection from thence. However, to what I have hinted before, of purgatory being a novel doctrine, and contrary to the fenk of the Catholick church, for at leaft the firft four centuries, I mall add a paffage of the learn- ed bifhop Bull y in his anfwer to a letter writ- ten from Monfieur de Meaux to Mr. Neijbn, -f F 2 which * Fortuita facra, Rotterodami 1727. p, 137, &c. f Seft. 3. p. 278. [ 44 ] which I will leave our friends of the church qf Rome to confider : " The doctrine, faith he ? " of indulgences, as taught in the church of cc Rome, depends upon the fiction of purgato- cc ry ; it fuppofeth a fuperfluity of the fatisfa- <£ ctions of the faints, which being jumbled " together with the merits and fatisfaction of cc cur Saviour, makes up one treafure of the tc church; that the bifliop of Rome keeps the " key of it. Is not this now, faith he, a do- £C ctrine worthy of a place in our creed, and to " be made an article of the Catholick faith. — my * Sec Dr. HarriSs Sermon. [49] tory as having no foundation in fcripture, (which is enough to fpoil the credit of any opinion that would fet up for an article of faith) but to reject it with abhorrence as being contrary to fcripture, and particularly that effential article of forgivenefs of all fin thro' the blood of Chrift* It may indeed be juftly enough ridiculed^ but it ought to be detefted by all thofe who honour God a?id love the Lord J ejus Chriji injincerity. 2. Let us obferve the reafon we have to blefs God, that we have the fcriptures, a perfect rule for our faith and practice : and that we have them in a language we underftand, and are al- lowed to judge for ourfelves of what they con- tain : that we are not obliged to receive any thing as a truth of God, or appointment of Chrift, but what we find there ; and may reject any thing that appears contrary to the word of God, whatever power pretends to impofe it ; and may flight their anathemas^ as a curfe caufelefs which JJmll not come. And let us be thankful alio that we live un- der a government which allows us to keep our Bible?, and take our religion out of them, and make publick profeffion of it too, without in- curring the penalties of an inquifition, or the ivhol/ome Jeverities which our fathers felt, and fome of us remember. Let us blefs God for the Reformation, and the fecurity given to it by the Revolution, and the profpect we have of its continuance under the protection of his moft gracious Majefty and his illuflrious houfe : for whom let us pray, and for all that are in au- thority^ that under them we may lead a quiet and G peaceable [ 5o ] peaceable life in all godlinejl and honejly. And let us take care that wc Jiibmit our/elves to every ordinance of man for the Lord's fake ', whether it be to the king as fupreme, or unto governors as unto them that are fent by him, for the punijh- ment of evil-doers, and the praife of them that do well, i Pet. ii. 13, &c. And feeing God has made us free, as free let us not ufe our liberty for a cloak of malic ioufnefs, ver. 14. that with well- doing we may put to file nee the ignorance offoo- lijh men : that they may be out of countenance when they call us rebels, as they ought to be when they call us here ticks. 3. From what has been offer'd there is reafon to encourage good men not to be frighten d with an imaginary danger of purgatory-fire. If we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellow/hip one with another, [have communion with the Catholick church] and the blood of Je- jus Chrifl his f on deanfeth from all fin, and we need fear no further reckoning. I havefhew'd the pleas of our adverfaries from fcripture, tradition, and reafon, to be vain ; do not let them therefore terrify us with their Ignis fatuus out of our fen- fes, as they fain would do to perfuade us out of our money, which I am fatisfied is really the bottom of the bufinels. The f 're of purgatory is like the thunder of the Vatican, a harmlefs thing, which no wife man would be afraid of, were it not too often connected with tortures, maffacres, and affaffinations : otherwife it would be regarded as fit only to frighten children, as thofe {lories of apparitions are, which Bellar- tnine makes ufe of to confirm his doctrine of purgatory 3 [5« 3 purgatory ; to which argument I hope you'll excufe me that I have not return'd a particular anfwer. 4. Lajlly, no wicked man fhould encourage himfelf by this fidtion of purgatory to continue in fin, and negledt the gofpel falvation, which teacheth to deny ungodlinefs and all worldly lufls % and to livefoberly, righteoufly, and godly in this prefent world. Do not let men imagine that attrition, with the facrament of penance, will fecure them from hell, and that they may efcape purgatory too, if they have money to pay for indulgences, &c. No, my friends, remem- ber that without holinefs no man Jhall fee the Lord, and that even the blood and righteoufnefs of Chrift itfelf cannot fave thole who will not repent and be converted. Away with all things that pretend to be fubftituted in the room of right eoujnefs and true holinefs \ and remember that though there be no purgatory, there is a hell y where the worm dies not y a?id the fi re is not quenched. From which God of his infinite mercy fave us through the blood of his dear Son. Amen. FINIS. jfujt publffid, in 2 Volumes, tivd* TJAith and Practice, repfefented iii Fifty-four Ser* A mons on the principal Heads of the Christian Religion: Preach'd in Berry-Street by the fix following MinifYers, viz, J. Watts, D. IX- S. Price. D. Neal, M. A. IX Jennings* J. Guyse, D. D. J. Hubbard, Publifh'd for the Ufe of Families, Printed and Sold by R. Ford, and R. Hett : of whom may be had all the Sermons preach'd at the Lecture at ' Salters-Hally againft Popery* <■ Lately publiJBd> .A fecorid Treatife of the Notes of the Church, as a Sup- plement to the Sermon Preach'd at Salter s-Hall, Jan. 1 6, 1734. Being the Subftance of two Sermons Preach*d at the' IV'ednefday Lecture at the Old-Jewry y Jan, 22, and 29. By Samuel Chandler. Speedily will be publiJISd, The feeond Edition of a DifTertation on 2 Thefix. 1,-12. In which 'tis fhewn that the Bifhop of Rome is the Man of Sin, that the whole Prophefy in that Chapter is applicable to him, and his Adherents, and to them alone ; nor can we at this Day defcribe the Apoftafy of the Church of Rome In a more conciie and lively Manner than the Apoftle has done in that fhort and remarkable Prophefy. By the Au- thor of the Paraphrafe and Notes on St. Paul's Epiftles to Philemon, Firft and Second to the Thejfalonians, Firft and Second to Timothy and Titus ; in Imitation of Mr. Locke's maimer, which completes St, Paul's Epiftks, . L W MAN's S E Preach'd at SJLTERS-HALL) April 3, 1735. [Price Six-Pence.] The Principles of POPERY Schifmatical. SERMON Preached at SALTERS-HALL, April 3, 1735. By MOSES L W M A N, LONDON: Printed for J. Noon at the White-Hart near Mercers -Chap el, in Cheapfide ; R. Ford at the Angela R. Hett at the Bible and Crown, and J. Gray at th e Crofs-Keys\ all in the Poultry., M dcc xxxy, \ R O M. xi. 2 2. Behold therefore the goodnefs and feverity of God ; on them which fell j ever ity^ but towards thee goodnefs y if thou continue in his goodnefs^ oiherwife thou alfo fhalt he cut off. mg T. Paul writing to the church w& of Rome, ufefully warns it a- ^P gainft the danger of fchifm ; |p left it fhould be cut off (^ from the unity and com- munion of the true church. He inforces this warning by confiderations, equally reafonable, and perfuafive. He fcts before them, the then prefent ftate of the Jewifh church, God's antient people, who, were cut off from the privileges of God's phurch, by their unbelief. He mentions their [6] their own happinefs, who from among the Heathen, and idolatrous nations, were re?- ceived into God's church, and had obtain'd thereby an intereft in all the bleffings of God's peculiar people. Thefe were instan- ces both of goodnefs and fe verity, which deferv'd an attentive obfervation, a careful and wife improvement. Did God reject the Jews, and caft off his own people, which had been his only church, and fo highly fa vour'd by him for fo long a time? Did God give fuch an inftance of fevere juftice? Other churches ought wifely to con- iider, why this church was cut off, and how they themfelves ftand ; they ought to ob- ferve the apoftle's reafoning : Well\ becauje of unbelief they were broken off, and thou ft and- eft by faith 5 be not high minded, but j ear* They ought to learn this wifdom, that they carefully watch again ft a proud con- ceit of themfelves, and an uncharitable con- tempt of others, apprehenfive, they may lofe the privileges of the true church, as the Jews had done before them, if they fhall fall into a like ftate of apoftacy. If God caft off his antient people for their unbelief, the Roman church, to which the apoftle writes, had juft reafon to fear, if it fhould apoftatize from the Chriftian faith, if it fhould renounce obedience to Chrift Jefus * Ver. 20. [7] Jefus the Lord, and to his gofpel, the rule of his religion, it alfo fliould be cut off. Before I proceed to a particular confide- ration of the fubjecT: I am to difcourfe upon, it will be proper to make fome more general remarks on the text itfelf. Firf, We may obferve, the apoftle re- prefents the Jewifh church cut off from the unity and communion of God's true churchy while it yet continued a vifible church in all acts of external communion. This church, which the apoftle reprefents, an example of juftice out off from the privileges of the true church, was yet a church which had many things to glory in. It had an an- tiquity of two thoufand years, a JucceJJion of priefthood from Aaron, to whofe family the priefthood was by God's exprefs appoint- ment confin'd. It had been long favoured by God, above all nations of the earth ; theirs were the prophets and the fathers, and to them were committed the oracles of God. They ufed then the fame external forms of worfhip and communion, which they ufed, when Chrift himfelf was a member of their church, and in communion with it ; and yet the apoftle calls upon the church of Rome i to behold this very church an example [8 ] example of God's feverity, cut off from the communion and privileges of the true church, by unbelief, becaufe (lie followed the tradition of her doctors, and their falfe interpretations of the fcripture ; and having falfified the true meaning of the prophefies, rejected the promifed Meffiah, when he came, (he was cut off, for that unbe- lief. 2. We are to obferve, this warning is directed in particular to the church {/"Rome, intimating, that church was not free from the danger of fchifm, or being cut off from the privileges of the true church, as the Jewifh church now was. One would think the apoftle had forefeen how the church of Rome would wreft the fcriptures in after- times, to fupport her pretence to the pre- rogative of an unerring, infallible, and in- defectible church, and had therefore wifely put in this caution again ft it before-hand. Here the church of Rome, in its belt and pureft ftate, is directed to behold the feve- rity of God, towards the Jewifh church, as a warning to take heed, left by a like apoftacy from the faith and obedience of the true church, fhe her felf fhould alfo be cut off. Does the apoftle here fuppofe the church of Rome could never fail ? That it could [9 ] could never be in danger of lofing the pri- vileges of the true church ? Does the apo- flle fuppofe the church of Rome muft neceffarily be (C ever pure, and holy in to the fervice and worihip of the one God and father of all, as they are called in one hope of their calling.* When then we fincerely believe in Chrift Jefus the Lord and receive him as God's Anointed, whom he has fanclified to fave us from our fins, and whom he has in- verted with fupreme power and authority^ as head over all things to the church ; when we profefs this faith in fincerity, when we aim with an upright heart, to make good this profeffion in all things by obedience to the directions, orders, and rules of Chrift's gofpel ; we then believe with the heart unto right eoufnefs, and make confejjion with the month unto Jahation.'f * Ephef. iv, 4, &c. f Rom. x. 10. Theia [ M-] Then wc are, according to the gofpel of Chrift, which is the charter of his church, received into it, and have a right by it, to all the privileges, bleffings, and grace promis'd to God's peculiar and favour'd people. This is the unity and commu- nion of the true Catholick church, which is not improperly call'd the internal com- munion of the invifible church. But if we continue not in this faith, and obedience of the gofpel of Chrift -, if we re- fufe to walk i?i Chrift jfejus the Lord, as we have received him -, * if we virtually re- nounce our allegiance to him, as our fii- preme head and governor - y we thereby fe- parate ourfelves from this unity of his body, and are feparated from this internal com- munion of the invifible church : We con- tinue not in the goodnefs of God, and in his favour, but forfeit all right to the bleffings which the charter of Chrift's gof- pel has made the peculiar privileges of his church. This is a behaviour truly fchifma- tical, and fo contrary to all the obligations and duty of a Chriftian, exprefles fo high difobedience to Chrift and his gofpel, that it muft be efteem'd a fin of moft dange- rous confequence. 2. We * Coloflf. v. 6, [ *5 ] 2. We are further to obferve, there is another unity of the Chriftian church, whereby the members of it are united to each other. Love and charity are eflential precepts of true religion ; Chrift has made the love of Chriftians to each other the diftinguifhing character of his difciples ; this is that bond of perfecJnefs, by which the feveral members of the Chriftian church are moft perfectly united to each other. An unity of opinion in all points, an uni- form practice in all things, an union of go- vernment under one univerfal head of the church, as vicar of Chrift upon earth, can- not be neceffary to the union of all Chri- ftians among themfelves. The wifdom of God never made that neceffary, which the nature of things, and conftant experience of the world, {hew to be impracticable. That all Chriftians then fhould agree in points uncertain and doubtful, or be uni- ted in fubmiflion to an authority without all reafon, and againft many evident and important reafons, can never be the bond of Catholick communion, can never be that perfecl bond of 'unity which is able to unite all true Chriftians among them- felves* But [ ;i6 ] But #// Chrijlians may be united iri affection and brotherly love : thefe are du- ties certainly required of every Chriftian ; thefe are proper means by which the peace, the honour, the perfection of the Chriftian church, as a religious fociety, will be great- ly promoted. It muft be then a very great Chriftian duty, an important part of obe- dience to the Chriftian faith, to keep this unity of the fpirit in the bond of peace. All therefore, who from pride and ambition, from covetoufnefs and private intereft, from envy or revenge, from angry paffion or unfociable temper, (hall be the uncharitable cauie of contentions and divifions in the Chriftian church, and bring upon it all the diforder and evils that feldom fail to fol- low fuch uncharitable divifions, muft be guilty of a very grievous fin : a fin fo dangerous to the peace, honour, and per- fection of the church, we may well fear threatens a lofs of the privileges of the true church. There is great reafon to fear that Chrift, the true head of the church, will treat them as aliens and fir angers to the covenant of promife y who will not walk in love as fellow-citizens with the faints. Un- charitable contentions and divifions feem to have run their full length. When Chri- o ftians (hall refufe to join with each other in [ i7 ] in worshipping the one God and Father of them all, or in the fervice of the one Lord, their common Saviour and head \ when they mail excommunicate and anathematize each other -, when Chriftians mall come to fo high a degree of uncharitablenefs as to hate their fellow Chriftians more heartily than they love their God and Saviour, than they regard the peace, the honour, or the happinefs of their church j then fare they are juftly chargeable with the guilt of fchifm. They have reafon to fear all the evils that follow upon it, the righteous punimment of fo great, fo grievous a fin. I proceed, II. To mew what reafons Proteftants have to charge the principles of Popery as fchifmatical, fo that the great danger of fchifm will be found in the communion of the Roman church, and not in the commu- nion of the Reformed churches. It is a plain and fure truth, * upon an honeft and careful inquiry how he is to walk and pleafe God, is his confcience ; in following which he will always walk before God with an upright heart, and ferve him with godly fincerity ; and fo far muft do that which is good and right in the light of God : but for a man to act con- trary to his confcience, is not to ferve God with an upright heart 3 it is to walk before him in falfhood and hypocrify, and there- fore to do that which certainly is evil in his fight 5 for lying lips are always an abo- mination unto the Lord. It is therefore highly unreafonable and extravagant to demand, as the Roman church does, that Proteftants ought to reBify their confciences zvAjubmit them to the autho- rity of their church ; and rather believe the church of Rome cannot err, becaufeyX^ fays fo; * 1 Theff. v. 2i. [40 ] fo \ than that fhe has erred, tho' they fee her errors with their own eyes. This is not to rectify confcience, but to deftroy it. It requires men to acft againfl all rules of rea- fon, honefty and religion, to facrifice fin- cerity and good confcience, to injuftice and oppreffive power. In fuch cafes, to ufe the words of a great man, " Confent would be " confpiracy, and open conteftation is not of Wicklejf\ John Hufs, Jerome of Prague, their followers and o- thers ; fo that all along, to the time of the reformation, there has been a cloud of wit- nejfes protefling againft the corruptions of Popery, and even fealing their teftimony with their blood. It was not indeed till a- bout the year 1500, that God was pleafed to raife up men of faithfulnefs and zeal, and in fuch fufficient numbers, that they were able to protec~i them/elves in a free and open profefjion of truth againft the oppreffive power of the Roman church. So that the whole of this boaft, [Where was the Pro- teftant religion before Luther f] amounts to no * Rev. xiii. 7. f Rev. xi. 3. I 43 3 no more than this ; God permitted the church of Rome long to oppofe and per- Cecute truths as antient as the Bible ', as the faith and practice of the apoftles ; till at length the good providence of God bleffed many churches Wiih.jree liberty to prof eft with fafety the truths and practice of the moCt antient Chriftian church. As then we ought to be fenfible, how much we are in- debted to the goodnefs of God, that the Protectant reformation began fo foon as it did ; we ought alfo to charge it as the great and grievous fin of the Roman church, that it began no /boner. Hence finally we may obferve, with what groundlefs confidence Papifls aflert, their communion is the Jafer, in the judgment of Proteftants themfelves ; becaule " Prote- ctants, they fay, own the Roman church wants nothing neceffary to falvation ; whereas the Roman church with unani- mous confent believes and profeffes, that Proteftancy unrepented of deftroys falva- tion."*For it is manifeft, that Protectants allow no fuch thing, as that the commu- nion of PapiCts is a fafer way to falvation, than the communion of the Reformed churches. Protectants maintain, and prove, that the Roman communion holds many ve- ry dangerous errors and corruptions, toge- ther with the fundamental articles of the F 2 Chriftian * Knot in Chillingworth, c. 7. $.6, [ 44 ] Christian faith ; that thefe errors and cor- ruptions are of fo dangerous nature and con- fcquence, as greatly to hazard falv at ion. In particular, we have feen the church of 'Rome is in very great danger of being cut off from the communion of the true church of Ghrift, by her fchifmatical principles : fo far are we from allowing there is greater fafcty in the church of Rome, that we evi- dently prove there is incomparably more dan- ger and hazard of being faved in the Roman communion, than in the communion of the Reformed Churches. We have now {cm one inftance more of the errors and corruptions of Popery, and therein a further inftance of our happinefs in the Proteftant Reformation. Let us confider what remains our care and duty to improve it. With what thankfulnefs and gratitude are we to own the goodnefs of God, which has beftowed fo great a blef- fing upon us -, which has continued it to us by fo many kind and wonderful providen- ces -, and which, ' we hope, defigns to per- petuate this bleffing to us by the happy provifion of a Protejlant fucceffion to our BritiJJj crown : let us {hew our thankful- fulneis for this goodnefs of God, by an hearty and affectionate zeal for the fecurity of that government, which, under God, is the only ' vijible fecurity of our happinefs as a )teftant nation. Let [45 ] Let us not terrify our felves with any groundlefs fears of danger in our feparation from the Roman communion, in which there is fo plain and evident danger of fepa- rating ourfelves from Chrift Jefus the head of the church, and of incurring the guilt of damnable fin - y as we cannot profefs and pradtife her errors and corruptions without falfliood and hypocrify, which are damna- ble fins. But let us at the fame time be watchful againft the danger of fchifmatical principles, and a fchifmatical temper in ourfelves. We may fully prove the church of Rome to be fchifmatical, and yet be unable to vindicate ourfelves, and our own conducl from the fame charge. It is more than poffible there may be angry paflions, uncharitable tem- pers, and unchriftian animofities on both fides of a queflion. When thefe (hall be i truly chargeable on both fides, neither fide can be excufed from the imputation of fchifmatical principles more or lefs. Let us be careful to wipe off from ourfelves, as Proteftants, this imputation, that we can- not avoid one cc note of fchifm at leaft, by cc reafon of our own mutual quarrels and * c contentions/'* We are to contend ear- nejlly for the faith \ and ft and f aft in the li- berty wherewith Chrift has made us free : that is our duty as Chriflians : nor can we have * Knot in Chillingworth, c, 5. §. 38, [ 46 ] have a caufe more juft and glorious in it- felf, or of more important concern to our own interefts, than the caufe of religious truth and liberty: but we are alfo to keep the unity of the fpirit in the bond of peace \ which is our duty as much as the other. Let us religioufly avoid all groundlefs jea- loufy, all uncharitable interpretation, and allunchriftian cenfure of each other's actions: let us defend the truth with modefty, tem- per, and charity; and neither the caufe of truth, nor the honour of the Proteftant Re- formation, will fuffer by the management. But if we contend even for the truth, with pride, paffion, and uncharitablenefs, we mall diilerve the truth, and difhonour our felves : this will make it appear to the ob- ferving and the wife, that we have learned a skill of being in the wrong, at the fame time we have a right caufe to defend ; and that we have found out an art, when we are difpnting for religion, to lofe our own religion in the difpute. Shall a fpirit of ambition and worldly interefl firmly unite our enemies againft us, and mall not the honour of God, and the fpirit of Chriftia- nity, as firmly unite us in the caufe of truth and religion, againft fo great and dangerous corruptions of both ? To conclude, Let us principally aim, by the grace of God, to improve the invaluable blefiing of the Reformation, by a more conftant and powerful [ 47 ] powerful influence of the excellent princi- ples of the true Chriftian faith and pra- ctice on our hearts and lives, that we may grow in every grace of a true Chriftian, as well as in the true knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jefus Chrift; that we may be bet- ter prepared for a more perfect ftate of the church, than we can hope to enjoy in this world ; and that we may at the laft at- tain the full communion of the glorious church above, in its heavenly ftate of per- fection and happinefs. Let this dodtrine then excite in us a more ferious care to preferve the hopes and privileges of the true church of God to ourfelves, to prevent the Jleights of men, and cunning craftinejs whereby they lie in wait to deceive, * from prevailing over us : let the danger of being cut off from the pri- vileges and bleffings of the church of God, in feparating ourfelves from Chrift the head, by departing from the faith and obe- dience of his goipel, make us tremble at the thoughts of Popery ; which impofes the profeffion and practice of fuch errors and corruptions as muft greatly expofe us to the guilt of hypocrify and damnable fin, to the danger of being cut off from the internal communion of the Catholick church : let it be our conftant care to know the mind of Chrift better, from his own word * Ephef. iv. 14. [ 48 ] word of revelation : let us receive all his doclxines, directions, rules, and orders, wkh religious reverence and affection : let us con rider them, on the one hand, as the laws of ChriiVs fpiritual kingdom, and on the other hand, as the means of his grace, to bring us to his glory : let every thing Jiave the authority and obligation of religi- on with us, which Chrift has made a part of his religion : then will our religion be a fair image of God's perfection, a confor- mity to the doctrine and the life of Chrift in all goodnefs, righteoufnefs, and true holinefs; then we (hall continue in the good- nefs of God y and finally attain that eternal glory unto which he has called us by Chri/l Jejiis, to whom be glory and dominion for ever and ever, Amen. "i FINIS. Next Week will be publijttd, THE fecond Edition of a DifTertation on 2 The/. i\. 1,-12. In which 'tis (hewn that the Bifhop of Rone is the Man of Sin, that the whole Prophefy in that Chapter is applicable to him, and his Adherents, and to them alone ; nor can we at this Day defcribc the Apoftafy of the Church of Rome in a more concife and lively Manner than the Apoftle has done in that fhort and remarkable Prophefy. By the Author of the Paraphrafe and Notes on St. Paul's Epiftles to Phile- mortj Firft and Second to the Theffalonians, Firft and Second to Timothy and Titus ; in Imitation of Mr. Locke's manner, which completes St. Paul's Epiftles. Persecution and Cruelty in the Principles i '^aSiices^ and Spirit of the Ronulli Church. A SERMON Preached at SALTERS-HALL, April io, 1735. By B. GROSVENOR, D. D. Longe diverfa funt carnificina & pietas \ nee poteft Ve- ritas cum vi, aut jujiitia cum crudelltate conjungi. Lact. i. 5, Infinitely more Chriftian Blood having been fhed by the Papal Empire, and its agents, for not com- plying with the idolatry of its worfhip, than ever was fhed by Rome Heathen, Dr. Geddes, V % III. EJfay yi, LONDON: Printed for R. Ford, at the Angel ; Rr Hett, at the Bible and Crown ; and J. Gray, at the Crofs-* Keys ; all in the Poultry. M dcc xxxv. [Price Six-Pence.] John xvi. 2. They /ha/I put you out of the Jyna- gogues ; yea, the time Cometh that whojoever killeth you "will think that he cloeth God fervice. g^fjl H E S E words may be con- ■H fidered as a prophecy, or as a caution. As a prophecy they have been dreadfully fulfilled, j by perfecutors in all ages; in defiance of the caution contained in them. As a caution, they are entered againft the moft plaufible pretence for perfecution in the world; viz, thinking they do God fer- vice. For if any thing in the w T orld could fanctify fo wicked a thing as perfecution, it would be the thinking to do God fervice thereby. But this caution is added here, to prevent any man's thinking fo. I am forry it has had fo little effedt : fo little, that men have rather feemed intent upon fulfilling the prophecy, than obferving A 2 the i 4 ] the caution \ as if they concluded, that kil- ling ttoen, if it was not indeed ferving God, yet it was ferving the church, and that would content them as well : or elfe, might one not have expected that thefe words of Chrift fliculd have prevented a great deal of mifchief that has been done in the world ? Are they not fpoken with an air of indig- nation, at fo unnatural a conceit, and fo vile a practice ? A practice declared here, by Chrift, to proceed from ignorance of God and Chrift, ver. 3. And thefe things will they do unto you, becaufe they have not known the Father nor Me. q. d. " They know nothing of the goodnefs of the Father, or the grace of the Son. If they knew God, they would know, that he defireth not the death of a finner, but ra- ther that he would turn and live. If they knew Chrift, they would know, that the Son of man came not into the world to de- " Jlroy mens lives, but to Jdve. If they knew any thing of natural or revealed religion, they would know, that both concur in that golden rule, of doing to t( others as we would be done imto." But inftead of that, thefe fons of violence have all along acted, as if Chrift had faid — Theje things they will do, becaufe I have given them commiffion fo to do ; as //they had a commiffion for doing that which, Chrift fays, they will do, becaufe they know know not the Father nor him. It appears then, that Perfecution proceeds from an ignorance of God and religion.* Ignorance and cru- elty go together, and are a fupport to each other ; they are the dark places of the earth, that are full of the habitations of cruelty, and will be cruel, as long as they remain dark-, and are kept dark, that they may continue cruel. Ill-nature, intereft, love of plunder, or of dominion, have their iliare in the buiinefs of perfecution, no doubt -, but ignorant zeal will go a great way in it, where there is not fo much ma- lignity ; as will appear in two inltances I will prefent you with. The one is of Saul, Acts xxvi. 9. / ve- rily thought that I ought to do many things, contrary to the name of J ejus of Nazareth. Which things I alfo did at ferufalem : many of the faints Ifhut up in prifon, having au- thority from the chief priejls : a?id when they were put to death I gave my voice again jl them ; and I pimijked them in every /yna- gogue, and compelled them to blafpheme : and being extremely mad againjl them, I perfe- cuted them to Jlrange cities. He calls it madness here, and imputes it to ignorance elfe where, 1 Tim. i. 13. I did it ignorantly / was injurious, and a perfecutor. Paul the * Pfalm liii. I . Have the ^workers of iniquity no knew ledge, nxho eat up my people as they eat bread ? [ 6 J the Chriftian condemns what was done by Saul the Jew, and owns it was injurious ; notwithstanding he verily thought he ought to do many fuch things, and notwithstand- ing his authority from the high-priejl. .How far ignorance will excufe, and whe- ther a man a&s from ignorance or maligni- ty, God is the judge. The other inftance is Luther : in the days of his ignorance he owns himfelf a mad perfecutor. In the preface to his Works he fays, Above all things I requeft the pious reader \ and befeech him, for the Lc?"d fefus ChriJFs fake, that he read my books with judgment, and with much pity ; and let him remember that I was once a Monk, and a mad Papifl r And when Ifirfl undertook this caufe, I was Jo drunk, and drowned, with the Popi/Jj doElrine, that I was ready, if I could, to have killed all men, or to have ajjijled others in doing fo, who withdrew their obedie?ice from the Pope but in onejyl/able. * Too much of the principles and fpirit of perfecution came over with the Reformers themfelves : * Ante omnia oro pium Ic&orem, 8c oro propter ipfum Dominum noftrum Jefum Chriihim, ut ifta legat cum ju- dicio, imo cam multa miferatione ; & fciat me fuirTe ali- quando Monachum, & Papiitam infaniflimum ; cum iftam caufam aggrefilis fum ita ebrium, imo fubmermm in dog- matibus Papae, ut paratiffimus fuerim, omnes, fi potuiffem, occidcre, aut occidentibus co-operari & confentire, qui Papas vel una fyllaba obeJientiam detrattarent. Melcbkr Adam Vita Luth. [7] themfelves: nor could that leaven prefently be worked out. Lutker was again ft put- ting falfe teachers to death, afterward ; but he was for almoft all other punifhments the magiftrate could inflict. Calvin was a man of excellent learning, piety, and parts; the Reformation owed a great deal to his diligence, courage, and fine pen : but he wrote a treatife of the lawfulnefs of putting hereticks to death ; and made the beft de- fence he could for the hand he had in an inftance of that nature. Beza was a difci- ple of CdPvm,, and grew T up to be as great a man. He wrote in defence of perfecu- tion, a treatife, which the Papifts knew how to make their advantage of, to the running down of many a poor fufferer. jf Henry the Eighth, who had fo great a hand in fhaking off the 'Roman yoke, put men to death for opinions. Edward the Sixth was over-perfuaded by Cranmer to commit fome to the flames. It is pity fuch lovely names as Edward the Sixth, and Cranmer ', fhould be mentioned to any difad vantage, in the fame line with perfecution and blocd. The fe verities in Queen Elizabetljs reigns, for the fake of uniformity in fervice and fentiments, were a great blemifh to the Protc ft ant name. - And if we trace this matter farther downwards, we mail find reafon * Inter Beix Tra&at: Theolcg. Impr. 1570. De lire reticis a m^giilratu puniendis. [3] reafon to own, that all parties and denomi- nations, in their turn, have had a notion of ferving God by doing mifchief to men, men who did not know fo much, or could not believe as they pleafed, or would not lye, in profefiing to believe what they did not. The proceedings of ftar-chamber, high-commiffion, and fpiritual courts, do abundantly (hew, that the fpirit of the church, and the fpirit of Chrift, are not always the fame. We hereby fee the power of prepoifeiTion, and rooted opinion, that with a Proteftant people it mould require aim oft 200 years to get rid of fo wicked a principle, and practice, as that of perfec- tion ; which is here declared to proceed from ignorance of God and Chrift, and die where, from malignity and hatred of goodnefs ; is made the mark of antichrift, or of a falfe church. The perfecution and cruelty of this falie church being my part to confider, I mail give you the notion of perfecution in gene- ral; and make good the charge of it upon the Romijh church, from their principles , practices, and fpirit; and then clofe with fome remarks. I. I am to ftate the notion of perfecution in general. My notion of perfecution is this — When a man is hurt in any of his civil rights, without [9] without any civil forfeiture or crime, mere- ly on account of the faith he believes, or the worfhip he practifes ; when that faith and worfhip have nothing in them incon- fiftent with the civil interefts of the com- munity, and the peace of the publick ; and the man is able and ready to give all bgal fecurity to the government for the publick peace. The ufe of force, or of pains and pe- nalties, againft fuch perfons, merely on ac- count of their religious opinions, by which opinions the civil interefts of the fociety are no ways affected 5 and the man in all other refpedts a good fubjecl:; this is perfecution. And this is the cafe of poor Proteftant fuf- ferers, who have nothing in the principles of their religion that fhould hinder them from being good fubjects, where-ever their lot is caft. But can this be pleaded for Pa- pifts ? thofe, at leaf!:, of them, who avow the depqjing power and perfecuting princi- ples ; or refufe to renounce them 5 in fuch manner as a Proteftant ftate may depend on> if there be any fuch manner to be found out. The breach of the civil peace deferves the animadverfion of the civil power, from whatfoever it proceeds.. It's all one to the magiftrate, whether fuch breach of the peace proceeds from a mifta- ken confcience, or from none at all. His bufinefs is to keep the peace, that under him B we [ to ] r//z- ciples of their religion, and practice upon thofe principles ; the fpirit of Popery it- felf being cruelty and tyranny -, of fuch a B 2 nature, * Pontificate Roman, edit. Antwerp. A. D. 1626. One. part of the oath is, Heereticos fchifmaticos ant rebelles eidem pomino noftro y ' pxU&s, imperial mandates, and Popes bulls for the extirpating of hereticks ; in a book intitled— A difcourfe '■■.. erning the laws ecclefiajlical and ci'jil made againjl here* ■ . , &c. Reprinted in the year 1 7 : ; [ 13] eternal God, and become fuel of the eternal fire, (Pabulum ignis aeterni.)* The council of Lateran under Pope Innocent III. They fay, We excommunicate ; and anathematize all herefy, condemning all hereticks, by what names foever they are called. And if that were all, thofe would not be much frighted, at being turned out of a wicked church, whp fee it their duty to come out from amongji them. Rev. xviii. 4. —But it folio ws—TheJe being condemned, muji be left to the fecular power to be puniJloed.\ And thofe who are only fufpecled of herefy , if they purge not themfelves in the appointed way, are to be excommunicated -, and if with- in a year fatisfaclion is not given, they are to be condemned as hereticks. -By the fame council it is ordained, that — the fe- cular powers fhall be admonifhed, and in- duced, and if need be fhall be compelled, by church cenfures, let them be of what office foever (cujujcunque officii,) as they would be counted believers, fo for the de- fence of the faith, they muft take this oath —that they will endeavour, bona fide, and with all their might, to exterminate fro?n every part of their dominions all heretical fubjecls, univerfally, that are mark'd out to them by the church. So that from this time * Caranza Sum. Conciliorum, p. 404. •j* Cap. 3. De haereticis, Caranza, p. 602. Anathematis gladio feriantur, & ufque ad fatisfa&ionem condignain ab omnibus evitentur, [ H J time forward, when any one is promoted to fo this woman, having by cruelty and blood intoxicated herfelf with the grandeur thereby attained, fhe fays, and infifts upon it, that number one is number a thoufand, the fame number one ; that an inch is as long as five or fix foot ; that fhe never did, nor can, tell a lye in her life, nor do any thing amifs ; and fhe raves at every one that don't believe all this, and vows to be the death of them when fhe gets them In her power. To proceed : §. 4. As it does not appear that Popery is mended in thefe refpedts, fo it is not eafy to conceive how it ever fliould. Can thefe principles be difowned, which are the dictates of the Holy Ghoft? Thofe decrees and canons that were framed by in- fallible councils, without giving up the do- ctrine of their infallibility? Is there any room for amendment without owning a mi- ftake ? Popery is flill animated by the fame Spi- rit of cruelty and fraud as ever ; and not- withftanding the politenefs that reigns in the manners of the age, thefe principles would be received, and urged upon the con- fidences of their votaries ; and would be pradtifed upon the merciful even of that com- C 3* ] communion themfelves, if they mould de- cline to come into their cruel meafures. Good-nature, relation, friendfhip, promi- fes, muft all give way to the utility of the church, a?id doing Godjervice. * The treatment of our Proteftant brethren abroad, the cruelties of the inquifition, do in the moft unanfwerable manner afiure us, that Popery is the fame bloody and deceit- ful thing as ever it was. Let fome Papifts be as well bred, and good-natured, and complaifant as you pleafe -, and accompany their winning behaviour with many a do- native among the poor, which at once pro- cures the applaufe of the multitude, and paves the way for now and then a profelyte — I fay — whatever good qualities parti- cular Papifts may lhew, their brethren abroad, as often as they are able, prove to us, that Popery itfelf is ftill the fame bloody and deceitful thing that ever it was; and fome of their brethren at home too have fo little command of themfelves, as to infult Proteftants in their own country, and under the protection of our laws, and in the very defiance to that connivance which they enjoy the benefit of. Thus have I gone thro' what I propofed, viz. to make good the charge of perfec- ting principles, practices zndjpirif, on the church of Rome. I aim not at raifing an indignation * Decrei. lib, 2. tit. 27, c, 27. £>uia non.- [ 32 ] indignation againft perfbns, but againft principles. I would be as tender of the per- sons of thofe who are unhappily deceived into fuch notions, as Chriflianity obliges me, and felf-defence will allow. I pray for their converfion, relieve the needy of them, and pity the diftreffed, and am deep- ly concerned for the great hazard of their falvation in Popery, which is fo adapted to ipoil Chriflianity, as poifon mixed with a cordial of the higheft name. For I cannot but be of the mind, that Popery as fuch is not Chriflianity. No, Antichrifl is not Chrifl ; idolatry and fuperflition is not go- fpel worfhip -, the mafs is not the Lord's fupper ; perfecution with fire and t word is not among the means of grace 5 killing men is not ferving of God -, prayers in an un- known tongue are not a reafonable fervice ; cruelty is notgofpel charity 5 without which, tho' / had all k?io c wledge y and did all mira- cles, yet I were nothing. Nothing is not every thing, or the only thing. They fay they have the eiTentials of Chriflianity. I anfwer, fo have we, and need not go to them for any thing, nor borrow any thing from them. So has a man that has the plague, all the effentials of a man, but then lie has the plague befides, and we avoid him. So the voice from Heaven fays, Come out from among them my people , Rev.xviii d- for though a man may recover and live that [ 33 ] that has the plague, the infection is mortal in its nature. To clofe now with a few remarks. I . See what we were delivered from at the glorious revolution, and renew your thank- fulnefs to God for it. Our religion in their ftile, you know, is the peftilent Northern herefy; and their religion, we have feen, obliges them to extirpate the fame to the utmofl of their power. That therefore a prince, fo well inftructed in this religion, and fo zealous for it, as fames the lid was, fhould think himfelf obliged to ufe the power God had given for that purpofe, was no more than (hewing himfelf a good Ca- tholick - y and fo much the better Catholick, by how much the worfe prince to a Pro- teftant nation. The fteps taken were ve- ry natural ; but we remember with plea- fure they were fo hafty, as to render the defign abortive. Their haftinefs for our ruin, proved our falvation , as it even for- ced fome to open their eyes, who were wil- ling enough to fleep on, becaufe it was in a whole skin. But when they faw the Eng- lifh monarchy turned into an arbitrary ty- ranny, and a difpenfing power ; charters taken away, and all back'd with an army of 40,000 men ; not by confent of parlia- ment, which makes our forces the people's E army, [ 34 ] army, the nation's guard ; but without par- liament, and againft parliament -, officer'd with French and Irijh Papifts ; to make room for whom, the Proteftant officers were by various pretences ' turned out : they be- came fenfible of the reafonablenefs of felf- defence againft lawlejs power -> and in order to get rid of this exotic government and re- ligion together, the nation, after many cries to heaven, call: their eyes over to the prince and princefs of Orange — and juft as the knife was at our throat — away the hero came, with the Protestant religion AND THE LIBERTIES OF ENGLAND, ill his ftandard, in his heart, and in his righ- teous caufe. PI is memory will be glo- rious as long as there is any fenfe of li- berty, regard to religion, or love of our country remaining as long as we, or our pofterity, enjoy the happinefs of our Pro- teftant fucceffion, which was one of the bleflings wrapt up in that great deliver- ance. 2. See what yoa muft expect upon the return of Popery in power. What can be expected from thefe principles and this fpirit ? Read the book of Martyrs ; the hi- ftory of the French and Bohemian perfec- tions, and expect the dregs of that bitter cup that has gone round to fo many ^ ) churches C 35 ] churches in Europe. Read the hiftory of the inquifition, and expert all that may be expe&ed from the fpirit of revenge : Re- venge for injury received, added to the in- ftigation of a religion, not only cruel in its nature, but making a merit of being fo. The apprehenfion is dreadful ! and the liippofition is a reproach to the common fenfe of our nation. But the annals of England mew us, that our valour has been often more confpicuous than our under- ftandings, and that the follies of one age have made hazardous work for the courage of another. So that dangers and deliver- ances, foolifh divifions, leading into ftraits, and bold ftrokes of courage in getting out of them, have made up the chequer-work of our hiftory. I wifli it may appear, that either our dangers or deliverances have made this age wifer. If we are fo then I add in the third place, 3. We (hall do all we can, confiftently with our own principles, to prevent the growth of Popery in thefe kingdoms, and the return of that bloody religion. They want numbers ; the increafing their numbers is what they are intent up- on, and muft be owned to be to their purpofe. Scripture knows them not, An- E 2 tiquity [ 36 ] tiquity is ignorant of them. It's foolifh in them to think of doing much by argu- ment. Writing is only an amufement, while they arebufy another way. To pre- vent their growing in numbers is what every one fhould affift in, who has any eftate to lofe ; any confcience to be di- ftrefled ; any pofterity to be tender of; any love to his Proteftant king and coun- try. What can be done ? We muft not perfecute to prevent perfecution. But it is anfwered Self defence is no perfecution. It is replied — The methods of our felf-defence muft be agreeable to the liberty of our conftitution, and the rules of our bleffed religion.— -They know this, they make their advantage of it toward the ruin of that very conftitution they en- joy the benefit of, and under the gentle Spirit of that bleifed religion they feek to deflroy. For which reafon, it is with an ill grace that they plead the benefit of ei- ther of them in their favour, who are con- tinually labouring to deflroy both. Thofe who avow the extirpation of all who differ from them, like IJJomael, their hand is againjl every man, if every maris hand fiould be agaijiji them, have they rea- fon to complain ? Men who are fworn to a foreign jurifdiction, as their prieftsarej men whofe principles and practices will not [ 37 ] not permit us to imagine, they can give a legal fecurity to the government, either as it is Proteftant, or as it is fettled upon the revolution foot : men who if they do fwear to the government, are furnifhed with fo many evafions, equivocations, mental refer- vations, difpenfations before-hand, or abfo- lutions afterward ; that there is hardly any hold of them ; nor any dependance on their renouncing the extirminating do- ctrines. As foon as our connivance had increafed their numbers fufficiently, could we expedl they would tolerate thofe who now tolerate them, any more than in ages pail: ? Liberty of confcience, (as one fays,) is ridiculous in the mouth of a Papijl, and not only ridiculous but perfidious, and infn- cere, qualities infeparable from their nature, for fo many ages pajl. Since it is certain, they would not forbear three years, bringing thofe to the fake, who would not go to Mafs, had they ortce more the power in their own hands.* And yet I fay it again, we muft not perfecute ; but whatever can be done, without that, ought to be done, for lelf- defence, to prevent their increafe, to re-r flrain their power, and to cut off oppor- tunity of their doing us mifchief ? ---We leave that to the wifdorn of the nation. f BaylSs comment. Vol. i. p. 6* C 38 ] In the laft place : 4. The guilt of fo much blood and cruelty, Is an heavy load upon that church, that will furely bring her down, and fink her as a milftone into the fea ; when God maketh inquifition for blood, in her will be found the blood of thefaiftts, and of all that were Jlain upon the earth, Rev. xviii. 24. It will be found belonging to her ac- count, fbme way or other ; as owing to her principles, or fhed by her injligation or with her approbation. The voice of thy bro- ther s blood crieth to ?ne from the ground, faid God to the firft perfecutor ; the voice of all this blood of our brethren has been crying from the ground a long time ; in conjunction with the cry of the Jbuls under the altar. — How long, oh Lord, holy and true, eer thou avenge our blood ? together with the cry of the prayers of his people, who frequently fay — Let Babylon come in remembrance before thee. — Thefe cries are heard — and will be anfwered. — He will judge the great whore, that has corrupted the earth, and will avenge the blood of his fervants at her hands, Rev. xix. The kings of the earth, who have hitherto bee terri- fied into a foolifh fubjedlion to the mib- lence and craft of men they ought to have controuled -, men they have a rightful do- minion over -, thefe kings of the earth will come r 39 3 come to their fenfes ; and jhall hate the whore, and Jhall make her deflate, and naked, and eat herflefh, and burn her with fire, for God hath put it into their hearts to fulfil his will. And when that bleffed day fhall come, wherein the angel with a mighty voice fhall proclaim, Babylon the great, is fallen, is fallen > — there breaks out an univerfal Allelujah, that fhall fill heaven and earth with its harmony. — Every harp and every tongue employed, and every foul in rapture with melodious joy. May you and I be there, and bear our part. F I N- I S. ieTSCPTlf Mr. LEAVESLVs SERMON Preach'p at SALTERS-HALL April 17, 1735. fel [Price Six-Pence,] Hebrews xi. 8. By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out, into a place which he Jhould after receive for an inheritaiice, obeyed ; and he went out, ?iot knowing whither he went. ^|HE reftlefs attempts of the plfy Roman power, by its emit : faries every where, to bring Proteftants again into bon- dage, have infpir'd the con- cern for your eftablifhment in truth and liberty, which has been ex- preffed in a courfe of fermons in this place. Popery has been truly reprefented to you -> and the artful difguifes of it, to hide its frightful deformity, have been taken off ; that you might fee it naked and uncolour'd. In C 6] In 1685, Dr. Wake* the now primate of the church of England^ obferv'd ; It is a long time fince it has been refolv'd by many of their Cafuifts, that it is lawful to dif- guife the fentiments of their religion, not only in private conferences, but in the very pulpit itfelf, when there is a fufficient rea- fon for the doing of it. But, fays he, I cannot tell whether it be fo generally known, that it is lawful for them to fet their hands, and to approve thofe books whofe principles and doctrine they diflike, by an art peculiar to themfelves, and which Proteftants who are uied to iincere dealing will find it a little difficult to believe. You have been again and again warn'd of this ; and their claims and principles have been let before you truly, that you might form a judgment of them for your own con duel:, and your converfe with any that are de~ ceiv'd, or would pervert you. If there be any true logick or reafoning in the world, we mult conclude, that a reformation, from fuch a diforder'd ftate of religion, is neceiTary for all thofe who would pleafe and honour God, and adhere to Jefus Chrift, and fave their own fouls. This is what is now incumbent on me, to make and maintain this inference, and imprefs it on your mind^ and I am perfuaded that * Preface to the exposition of the doctrine of the church of England, &C. [7] that any but thofe that have eyes, and yet will not fee, a»y that will but open their eyes muft fee that, It was the moft reafonable and necefTary thing to attempt and carry on that refor- mation, which all the Chriftian world, ex- cept the ufurpers themfelves, requir'd, and cry'd out for ; and even thofe ufurpers were conftrain'd to make fome profeflions of that neceffity, and fome feign'd fhews of in- tending to do that work themfelves, that others more hearty and fincere might drop it, and leave it to their more artful manage- ment.* It muft be confefs'd that thefe corrupters of religion had, with exquifite craft, fet the true articles of the Chriftian faith in the front of their impoftures ; they have own'd the divine infpiration of the facred fcrip- ture ; the articles of the apoftles creed, and more, the Nicene, Athanafian creeds, efta- blifhed by the councils. And what, would you reform from thefe ? Are not thefe * Anng 1523. Adrian gave commiffion to his nuntio in Germany to eonfefs, that the confufion was caufed by the fins of men, efpecially of the priefts and prelates, confef- fing that fome years iince fome abominations have been committed in that holy fee ; many abufes in fpiritual things, many tranfgrerfions of the commandment?, and laiily, all things turn'd to the worit ; fo that it may be laid, the in- firmity has pafs'd from the head to the members, from the Popes to the inferior prelates, infomuch that there hath been none that doth good, no not one. enough £ a J enough to edify your fouls, and fecure your filvation ? But pray let us fee what is that long roll that is join'd with them, that muft be taken and eaten together, that we muft fvvallow down and concoct as well as we can, though our confcience and all within us turn againft it* Alas we find, that the 'Trent religion, Pius's creed, has given us twelve articles of Chriftian faith, only as the old Romans led their captives in triumph, while the following articles of Popery are to bear all the glory upon the neceffity of our falvation ; and believing in Chrift will not avail us unlefs we fwear obedience to the Pope. Now what is" this but to fet Solomon's porch to the houfe of Baa/, or the temple of I) agon ? This is no lefs impiety than that of the prieft, that poiibn'd the em- peror with a confecrated hoft. What greater difhonour can be done to the word of God, than juft to make it a preface to the traditions of men, whereby all the commandments of God are made void ? Thefe (hams of the Samaritans are only to delay and hinder the building of the houfe of God -, Let us, fay they, build with you, for we jeek your God as you do, and we do facrifce to him : * yet were they ad- ver fanes of Judab and Benjamin. Zerub- * Ezra iv. 2, 3. babel [ 9 ] babel and yejliua the chief of the fathers of Ij'rael declare to them, Tou have nothing to do with us to build an honfe to our God, but we our/elves together will build unto the Lord God of IJrael. Then their enemies weakned their hands , a?id troubled them in building ; and hired counfellors to frujlrate their pur - pofes, all the days of Cyrus ki??g of Perfia. Thus it hath been a ftale artifice of evil men and feducers, to mix truth with errors, to make poifon palatable, that it may be taken without fuipicion, and work with- out fail 3 and fo by catholick creeds, and the names of catholick church, and gene- ral councils and the like, many that have had a deteftation for the encroachments of Popes, and their court and confiftories, are yet kept religioufly in the communion of the Roma?i church, as they efteem it ; but for you fellow Proteiiants, we fay, as the apoftle John, i John ii. n. Wf have not preached, and written to you, becauje you know not the truth, but becauje you know it, and that no lye is of the truth. Our adverfaries with a fovereign impu- dence would face us down, that notwith- ftanding all we have and can fay of the incroachments and ufurpations, tyranny and corruptions of the Roman church, we can have no right to feparate from her and re- form ourfelves, and enter into a commu- flion with thofe that think themfelves called B of [ 10 ] of God ib to do, but that we muft be dam- nable hereticks and fchifmaticks for at- tempting and perfifting in it. And that altho' the Roman church were indeed be- come heretical and idolatrous, and what- ever we charge upon her doctrine and wor- fhip, ftill we muft be under the guilt of fchifm, and fuffer the confequences of it. That it is not lawful to make any change of religion *f without the Pope and a coun- cil. J And fo they admit that monftrous canon, If we fee the Pope neglecting his own falvation and that of his brethren, unprofitable, regardlefs of his work, filent of all good , that he hurts his own falva- tion, drawing with him innumerable peo- ple to the utmoft mifery, to be punifhed with him eternally with many ftripes Yet no man ought to reprove him or cha- ftife his faults, becaufe he is to judge all the world, unlefs one knows that he err in the faith. || — So the general of the des Lainez, in his fuffrage : None can reform the Roman church, for the fervant is not above his Lord. Ycu will furely fee we have a con- trary pattern before us in the text, and that the good reformers of the fixteenth century, and all that follow them, as the apoftle Paul fpeaks to the Romans, walk in the ■f Boniface, Biftiop of Mayetice. % Dccret. Grat. Dill. 40. || F. Paul, 721. f u 3 Jieps of that faith if our father Abraham* When the God of glory appear'd to him and convinced him of the ungodlinefs of idolatry, and made himfelf known to him, and called him to go out from that idola- trous communion, he had been brought up in ; he obeyed at all adventures, and goes out in the ftrength of faith, and com- mits himfelf to the conduct of providence, in firm dependance on God's promife, and refignation to his will. You will eafily fee the fenfe and fpirit of my text mine in what I {hall offer to you, and ftrongly proving the neceffity, and (hewing the reafons of that reformation that we adhere to and maintain. Now it was not written for his fake alone ^ that it was imputed to him -, but for us alfo, to whom it pall be imputed, if we believe on him that raifed up J ejus our Lord from the dead>-\- I (hall endeavour to difcharge what is affigned me, I. in considering diftindtly the reformation that we fpeak of, and {hew you what we refer to and mean by it, II. The reafons and neceffity of it \ and conclude. As to the firft, the reformation : We don't pretend to fet up the happy and glorious inftruments of it as a new eccle- * Rom. iv. 12. f Rom. iv. 23, 24. B z fiaftical [ 12 ] iiaftical judicature, and to account for all the incidents, and every ftep of that won- derful work. We don't erect a protectant fupremacy and infallibility upon the ruins of the pa- pal, nor undertake to maintain all the do- ctrines of Luther and Zninglius, or Calvin , or the churches of France, or England, or Scotland. This would be to build up a- gain what we have deftroy'd, and to ruin that liberty of examining and proving all things, that we may hold fail: that which is good. The word reformation looks back to an original rectitude eftablifhed by God in the very nature of things, and declar'd and fettled by the only fupreme authority of God himfelf, by thofe whom we are lure he empowered and qualify 'd - y and where thefe are contradicted, we may re- reject all pretenders to a divine authority; To the law and to the teftimony. God has given man his underitanding to this purpofe, which has an original liberty and power to obferve things, and enquire and judge with due care and circumfpe- ction, to difcern between right and wrong, good and evil, that we might try things which differ, and approve things that are excellent. * And whoever would engage * Phil. i. 9, 10, our C 1.3 ] our fubmiffion, muft do it by commending themfehes to our conjcience in the fight of God, by the manifejlation of the truth, -j- We have a fure rule in the gofpel of Chrift, eftablifhed by an anathema infinite- ly dreadful : But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gofpel to you y than that we have preached, let him be ac- curfed. As we faid before, Jo Jay I now again, if any preach another gofpel unto you, than that you have received, let him be accurjed. % 'Tis no new thing in the world for men to break through the divine and facred fettlements of religion, and to per- vert the gofpel of Chrift. There ever were falfe prophets and falfe apoftles : Satan himfelf is transformed into an angel of light : thofe who fat in the chair of Mojes had leavened the fewijlj religion, and were to be heard with great caution, notwith- ftanding the authority they had received ; and when they became enemies to the great reformation that Chrift had undertaken, they were to be no farther regarded. Reformation itfelf has two effential and comprehenfive parts : 1. Detecting and difclaiming, renoun- cing and forfaking all falfe authority, and every corruption of the fure inftitutions of religion, which we have received from God. f 2 Cor. iv. 2. J Gal. i. 8, 9. The [ *4] The apoftle ftiles gofpel times, the time of reformation^ SiopSartac : * importing the end and occafion of ChrifVs appearing in the world, when things were lapfed into utter diforder, whereby God was dishonoured and difpleafed 5 fad confufion and lament- able darknefs, and miftaken notions of God and religion, fpread and prevailing in the world, to the dishonour of God, and cor- rupting the minds and manners of men, and making their lives flagitious, and fo de- ftroying the hopes of that great falvation God had formed men for, and which he intended in all the inftitutions of religion. Whatever, therefore, oppofes this great de- fign of Chrift's coming, is to be refilled ; we mull: depart from it, and proteft againfl it. 2. The fecond part of reformation is an actual return to that Simplicity of fubjecliion and obedience, that we owe only to the great author and finifher of our faith. He came to reform the world, and lead men back to the right ways of God, which he hath imprefled on the confcience, and pub- lished by his prophets, and meffengers, and ambaffadors to the world. We were like fieep going aftray> but now are returned unto the fhepherd and biJJjop of our Jbuls. + Thieves and robbers had climbed into the * Heb. ix. 10. f 1 Pet. ii. 25. fheepfold, [ *5 ] fheepfold, to fleece and devour the ftieep, J when their voice, their very fpeech, their doctrines bewray'd them -, we mull not follow, but flee from them. But when we hear the voice of Chrift, and he call- eth us, and leads us out, and goes before us, we follow him, for we know his voice y and are, as we ought to be, aflured it is he and not another that calls, and leads us. II. The fecond thing we are to open to you is, the reafon and neceffity of that reformation, which was begun in fo re- markable and wonderful a manner, in the beginning of the 16th century. — The oc- casions and calls for it were many, and extremely preffing ; the liberty of mens un- derftanding and confcience violated in the moft infolent and outragious manner y their dictates fupprefled and ftifled y the true and original fettlements of religion by God and Chrift vacated and defeated, and dominion over the faith and confcienees of men cru- elly exercis'd : and the original charters of the children of God were conceaPd, with evident erafements and falfe glories. The Roman pontiff fet up an empire of dark- nefs, and, as a ftrong man armed, kept the houfe as his own property. Inftead of the fubjection and allegiance we owe to God J John x, and [ 16 ] and Chrift, and that humble and fincere obedienee that we are to yield to the gof- pel, the papal claims engrofs and top over all : and thofe that profefs'd themfelves the creatures of the Pope, fo far flighted the gofpel of our falvation, that as we are told by Zni?igliiiSy * jfobn Faber the vicar of Conjiance faid, We might have liv'd in peace, if there had been no gofpel : And cardinal Ho/ius, That the church would fland on a firmer foot, Meliori Taky if the gofpel had never been writ- ten. But inftead of this, the bifhop of Bitonto y at the opening of the council of Trent y with a flaunting oratory, calls upon the woods of Trent to eccho it through the world, that all fhould fubmit them- felves to that council, which if they do riot, it will be juftly faid, The Pope's light is come into the world, and men have lo- ved darknefs better than light, -f This indeed appeared like blafphemy to fome that attended, and it was wifh'd, that, at leaft, he had not taken the formal words of holy fcripture, that he might not have fhewed fo openly to difefteem it. Thole who had any knowledge of the court of Rome, could not but fee the fad occafion there was for reformation : We have an account from one bred up in the Roman * Op. T. 2. p. 622. f F. Paul, 13* — 3. bigotry, i7 3 bigotry, and even after his account of Rome continuing a catholick ; by what fteps he came to know the papal impo- fture.* Going to Rome, he quickly faw there was nothing in what he had been taught to think of the Pope and Cardi- nals. He had thought that the Pope had every day news from pafadife, That he fent whom he would to heaven or hell, That he was holy, infallible, impeccable in all that he faid or did ; as he ought to be, if Chrifl had given him fuch an employ as he preteads. He had a moft extended knowledge of all things, a continual ap- plication to the falvation of all men : and fo in proportion of the Cardinals, he re- verenced them exceedingly at a diftance. But fuch was his difappointment, that it almoft diffracted him. Nothing appeared in that holy city y i?i that mother and miftrefs of all churches, but horrible diflblution of manners, in court and city, without the leaft figns of the fear of God ; but abo- minations of every kind. This made him think, how is the world abufed ? Oh that they could fee this to open their eyes ! Is this his holinefs that gives pardons, and indulgences, and canonizes faints ? are thefe the people that muft give out laws and rules of religion to the whole world ? This * Moycns furspref, C made [ iB] made him ready to renounce Chriftianity ; till the opportunity of reading a Latin teftament reliev'd him, and gave him con- folation ; but made it utterly impoffible to believe, that the Pope was the univer- fal vicar of Chrift ; but made appear that Chrift was the head of his church, the church his body, the faithful his members, ■ Not one word of Pope or Cardinals, or any that belonged to them ; but examples and exhortations to humility, godlinefs, chaftity, charity, renouncing the world and its pomps, its grandeurs, its vanities, its riches and pleafures, by mailer and difciples. But all things diredtly contrary in the Popes and the whole court. Nothing can be more manifeft than that the papal pretenfions of fovereignty muft deftroy the liberty of our underftanding, and divert men from enquiring after the mind and will of God, and ftudying the mind of Chrift : for I think I may fay, in truth, that half fo much has not been faid of our obedience to Chrift, as has been faid for his pretended vicar, and the ufurped power of what they call the church. I fhall fet before you claims of the pontiff of Rome, as they are drawn up by the ex- cellent Dr. Barrow, who has thoroughly examin'd and effe&ually demolifhed them, viz.* That to the Pope, a fovereign mo- •Qr'p.3.1. narch C >9 ] narch by fanction of the whole church, do appertain royal prerogatives, called Regalia Petri, in the oath prefcribed to the bifhops; fuch as thefe which follow, To be fuperior to the whole church, and to its reprefentative in a general fynod of bifhops. To convocate general fynods at his pleafure, all bifhops being obliged to at- tend on his fummons. To prefide in fy- nods, fo as to fuggeft matter, promote, obftrucl:, over-rule all the debates in them. To confirm or invalidate their determina- tions, giving life to them by his aflent -, or fubftracting it by his diffent. To de- fine points of doctrine, or to decide con- troverfies authoritatively. To enact, fuf- pend, difpenfe with ecclefiaftical laws and canons. To relax or evacuate ecclefiaftical cenfures, by indulgence and pardon. To void promifes, oaths, obligations to laws, by his difpenfations. To be the fountain of all paftoral jurifdiction and dignity. And after many others. To be himfelf unaccountable for any of his doings, exempt from judgment, and liable to no reproof. To fummon and commifiionate foldiers, by croifade, to fight againft and deftroy infidels, &c. Now, brethren, is it fit for any men in their fenfes to own fuch claims as thefe ? Can there be any fafety or liberty, truth or juftice, where thefe powers are granted to C 2 any [ 20 ] any mortal ? Did the keys of the king,, doni of heaven , given to St. Peter, intend any thing fo boundlefs and abfolute in it- felf, and fo oppreffive and enflaving to the world ? Who then would be a Chri- ftian ? Is the yoke eafy, &c. Thefe powers have fometimes met with fome check and contradiction, but of no effect and continuance ; and whatever was re- fum'd by fome councils, as that of Con- fiance and Bafil, was loft again, and in 3 iilcnt, but effectual, way refum'd by the council of Trent, by the claufe, Propone?i- tibus Legatis, and by the referring all things to the Pope's confirmation, and falvo to his authority. So that the council of Trent, fo earneftly defired by emperors and kings, to fettle the diforder'd ftate of religion, was conducted by the court of Rome to defeat all attempts for reformation.* It re- main'd therefore, that all that were con- vinced of the very corrupt ftate of religion in the Roman communion fhould carry on their proteftations, and reform themfelves in the belt manner they could, to advance the honour and obtain the favour of God, and their own peace and edification. Therefore our learned and pious bifhop jfewel writes to his friend in Italy, Signior Scipio , When you fee that all things are * F. Pau/, p. 436. Fergeriiis. molt [ 21 ] moft unjuftly handled, that nothing is fincerely and fairly carried in the council, you may not wonder that our men had rather tarry at home, than take fo long and idle a journey, in which they mail both lofe their labour and betray their caufe. You will fay, It is not lawful to make a change in religion without order from the Pope and the general council. Yet the Popes have changed almoft the whole ftate of the primitive church, without any coun- cil at all. For, what ? While the Pope affembleth the council, and the bimops and abbots re- turn home, will they have God's people in the mean time to be deceiv'd, to err, to miftake themfelves, to be overwhelm'd with errors, and want the knowledge of God, and to be carried to everlafting de- ftruction ? * Is it not lawful for any of us to believe in Chrift, to profefs the gofpel, to ferve God aright, to fly fuperftition and idolatry, except they will give us leave ? The ftate of God's children were moft miferable, if, there being fo many errors and fo generally fpread, and fo grofs, fo blind, fo foul, fo perfpicuous, and mani- feft, that even our adverfaries themfelves are not able to deny them, nothing could be done without the whole world could meet in a general council. Thus [ 22 ] Thus he reafonably expoftulates, and makes it evident, that corruptions in reli- gion muft not be fuffer'd to go on without obfervation and detection, without oppo- fition and reformation : That we may re- form ourfelves in England, and that every country, city, or church may do fo, with- out getting a licence from the Pope and a council. Muft the word and commands of God, which we are fure are his, and the gofpel of Chrift ftay for letters of com- mendation from them ? Muft we ask leave of any mortal man to open our eyes, to ufe our understand- ing, to feek God and worfhip him, as our confcience directs and he commands? Muft we, who were baptized into the obfervance of all that Chrift commanded, neglect to read his gofpel, and inftead of the com- mandments of Chrift obferve the arbitra- ry commands of a man, that will call himfelf the head and the mafter of the church. Thefe demands are impious and fhocking to thofe that read the teftament, and believe the fufficiency and faithful- nefs of the apoftles of Chrift in delivering to us all things they had received of him, and declaring to us the whole counfel of God. The means of acquiring the methods of ufing their beloved prerogatives, and the mifchiefs they have caufed in the world, gave [ n ] gave the loudeft call to thinking and fo- ber men to difown and condemn them. From the beginning it was not fo ; nor is it pretended to be the original ftate of Chriftianity. Wicked and worldly men, getting into office in the church, purfued the gratification of their luft of power, and pomp and riches, abufed the refpect that was fhown to them for the fake of Chrift and his gofpel by people of fimpli- city, and by emperors that were converted to the Chriftian faith. All the changes in the empire were watched for opportuni- ties to aggrandize their power -, till at laft Boniface III. by wicked compliances with a murderer and ufurper, Phocas, got the title of head of the church and univerfal bijhop ; and then their power increafed prodigioufly, and his fucceffors always took the advantage of the weaknefs of the Greek emperors and the diforders in Italy, to en- creafe their authority by policy and vio- lence ; and to declare war again ft emperors, to whom before they had been lubjecT:.* So that the emperor Babarojfa in 1150. writes to the princes of Germany, That the Popes being enriched by the emperor, now undertake to dethrone kings, and princes, and will have none equal with themfelves : That they afpire to divinity * Richer, hill, concil. gener. A