life almost to inquire into it. So that fome Popish writers speak of the affirmative of this question as an article of faith, and fome as a moft impious error. One or the other must be impious undoubtedly. Which then are the heretics? and what is their infallibility good for, that either cannot, or will not, decide questions of fuch importance to human fociety as this? But to proceed: Some of that communion allow not even councils to be infallible, and account no doctrine fundamental, unless the whole body of the Roman church hath received it as fuch. And how fhall the ignorant know with certainty when they have all received it, and in what fenfe they have received it? But why the whole body of the Roman church? What claim hath fhe of being always in the right more than the churches of Greece, of Afia, or Æthiopia, who differ from her, as well as we, in many things, and allow her no fuch privilege? Nor, which is more, did St. Paul know of any she had in the least; but in his epistle to the church of Rome, bids her not to be high-minded, but fear for if God fpared not the Jews, take heed, left he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and feverity of God: On them, feverity; but towards thee, goodness; if thou continue in his goodness, otherwife thou also fhalt be cut off. Strange treatment, fure, of an infallible church! Some perfons therefore have held infallibility to refide not in the church of Rome particularly, but in the whole body of Chriftians confidered as one, which indeed is the only true catholic, or univerfal church. But the whole body of Christians, in the nature of things, can never meet: and, were it as eafy as it is difficult, to collect their feveral opinions, what one point should we find them all in all ages agree in as neceffary, befides thofe general doctrines of Chriftianity, that are on every hand allowed to be clearly contained in fcripture? Which way foever then we seek for a rule of faith, to fcripture-doctrine we must return; and therefore the best way is never to depart from it.

But here some of the Romanists (for they differ about it) will say we wrong them. They admit fcripture for the rule of faith but do they admit it for the only one? This they dare not fay; or, if they did, will they allow us, when we have this rule, to know what it means? No, we must never

understand

SER. XCVIIL. understand the leaft part of it, though ever fo plain, in any different fenfe from what the church is pleafed to appoint. What then is this but mocking mankind, and giving with one hand, what they immediately take away with the other? But we, they say, are in a pitiable condition; that, having only the dead letter of fcripture to go by, and no living guide or judge to direct us in the interpretation of it as they have, controverfies are always rifing among us, and can never be decided. To this we answer, that controverfies are what they themselves, even with perfecution to help them, can neither prevent or end any more than we. And in matters of property indeed, fome decifion, right or wrong, must be made. Society could not fubfift without it: but what need of an infallible decifion in matters of faith? Why is it not sufficient that every man determine for himself as well as he can in this world; and that God, the only infallible judge, will determine with equity concerning us all in the next? But the generality of people, they fay, are incapable of judging for themselves. Yet the New Testament supposes them both capable of it, and bound to it; and accordingly requires them not only to try the fpirits, the pretences to infallibility, whether they be of God, but to prove all things, and bold fuft that which is good t. But were this other wife; if they are incapable of judging, why do you perfuade them to change their judgment? Let them alone in the way they are in. But if they have judgment enough to determine whether the catholic church be infallible, whether the church of Rome be the catholic church, whether this infallibility be in Pope or council, which decrees of either are genuine, and what is the true meaning of thofe decrees, all which things they must determine, before the infallibility of the church can be any guide to them: if, I fay, every plain man hath ability enough for fuch points as thefe, why hath he not ability enough, in other cafes, to understand common sense and plain fcripture: to judge whether tranfubftantiation, for inftance, be not contrary to the one, and image-worship to the other? The Romanifs themselves own, that men must use their eyes to find this guide why then must they afterwards put them out to follow him? efpecially confidering that the only rule, which above

above ninety-nine parts in a hundred of their communion have to follow, is not the doctrine of councils and Popes, even were they infallible (for of thefe it is infinitely harder to know any thing than of scripture), but merely what a few priefts and private writers tell them; and fo at last all the pretence to being directed by infallibility ends in being led blindfold by men, confeffedly as fallible as themselves. But all Chriftians are commanded, they fay, to obey them that have the rule over them in the Lord*. And it is true, the teaching of the minifters of the gospel ought to be attended upon; their doctrine followed in all clear cafes; and their judgment refpected, even in doubtful ones. But ftill we are no more bound to follow our fpiritual guides into opinions plainly false, or practices plainly finful, than to follow a common guide down a precipice, or into the fea, let our own knowledge of the way be ever fo little, or the other pretences to infallible skill in it ever fo great. The rule therefore for the unlearned and ignorant in religion is this: Let each man improve his own judgment, and increase his own knowledge as much as he can; and be fully affured that God will expect no more. In matters for which he must rely on authority, let him rely on the authority of that church which God's providence hath placed him under, rather than another which he hath nothing to do with; and trust those, who, by encouraging free inquiry, appear to love truth, rather than fuch as, by requiring all their doctrines to be implicitly obeyed, feem conscious that they will not bear to be fairly tried. But never let him prefer any authority before that which is the highest of all authority, the written word of God. This therefore let us all carefully ftudy, and not doubt but that whatever things in it are neceffary to be believed, are easy to be understood. This let us firmly rely on, and truft to its truth, when it declares itself able to make us wife unto falvation, perfect, and thoroughly furnished unto all good works †. Let others build on fathers and popes, on traditions and councils, what they will let us continue firm, as we are, on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jefus Chrift being the chief corner Stone .

• Heb. xiii. 17.

† 2 Tim. iii. 13—17.

Eph. ii. 20.

SER

SERMON XCIX.

THE SACRED SCRIPTURES THE ONLY INFALLIBLE RULE OF FAITH AND PRACTICE.

I PET. V. 12.

-Exhorting and teftifying that this is the true grace of God wherein ye fland.

THE

general rule of conduct for men to go by is reason : contrary to what this plainly teaches, we neither can nor ought to believe; but beyond what it teaches, on fufficient authority, we justly may. Perfuafion, founded on authority, is called faith: and that which is founded on the au thority of our bleffed Lord, Chriftian faith.

Now the rule of this faith, the only means by which we, who live fo many ages after him, can learn with certainty what things he hath required as neceffary, and what he hath forbidden as unlawful, I have proved to be the holy fcrip

For thefe, which confeffedly give us a true account of Christianity, do alfo, as I have fhewn to you, give us a full and fufficiently clear account of it: and there is none whatever befides that can be equally depended on. Other antiquity, compared with that of scripture, is modern; tradition, in its own nature, foon grows uncertain; and infallibi lity is no where to be found upon earth. The only thing then we have to rely on in Christianity is the written word of God. Whatever this forbids is finful; whatever it requires, as a condition of falvation, is neceffary; whatever it does not fo require, is not neceffary. By thefe rules therefore of reafon and fcripture, let us now proceed, as was propofed in the fecond place, to try the chief of thofe doctrines which diftinguish the church of Rome from ours.

Τα

To begin with that which is naturally firft, the object of worship. We worship God, and pray to him through the mediation of Jefus Chrift. This they acknowledge to be right. The faints in heaven we love and honour as members of the fame myftical body with ourselves. The holy angels we reverence as the minifters of the divine will. But as for praying to either, there being no argument for it in reason, nor precept in fcripture, nor indeed example in antiquity, for at least 300 years after scripture, it surely cannot be a thing neceffary. Letting it alone is undoubtedly fafe; whether practifing it be fo, the church of Rome would do well to confider. They tell us indeed that they only beg the prayers of the faints in heaven, as we do thofe of good perfons on earth. And were this true (as I fhall prove it is not), we defire our fellow Chriftians on earth to pray for us, because we know they hear our defires and furely it is reafon enough not to ask those in heaven to do it, because we do not know they hear us, nor have the least cause to think they do. For fcripture, which alone could tell us fo, hath told us no fuch thing. But befides, if we can at all understand scripture, it hath exprefsly forbidden all applications to the inhabitants of the invifible world, excepting the Supreme Being. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, fays Mofes, and him only fhalt thou ferve *. There is one God and one Mediator, fays St. Paul, between God and men, the man Chrift Fefue †. Accordingly we find, that the angel which appeared to St. Jobs in the Revelation, forbids any religious honour to be paid him, even when prefent. See thou do it not: I am thy fellow-fervant: worship Godt. And when fome amongst the Coloffians had affected unjustifiable practices of this kind, St. Paul cenfures them as being in a very dangerous error. Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility and worshipping of angels, intruding into thofe things which be bath not feen §. Yet does the church of Rome intrude fo much farther as to pay undue worship to beings far below angels; not only to the faints in heaven, but to fome who were so wicked on earth, that there is great reason to fear they are in hell; and to others that are mere fictions of their VOL. III.

own

H

• Matt. iv. 10. 1 Tim, ii. 5.

Rev. xix. 10. xxii. 9. § Col. ii. 18.