But how contradictory are these things to the common sense of mankind? If there is a revelation given from heaven for our guidance in the way thither; and if this revelation declares, that according to our reception of it, and by the rules contained in it, we shall be judged at the last day; and if we must every one be judged for himself, as it is certain we must: then it is of the highest importance, that we judge every one for himself concerning the mind of God contain'd in fcripture, and not fuffer the church, or any body of men in the world, to judge for us, But then the Romish church would be utterly ruined and therefore it is no wonder that they lay it for a fundamental article, that private judgment is by no means to be allowed.

But let us look a little farther into the monftrous abfurdity of this article, confidered as bound upon the confciences of the common people. Every one of them is hereby obliged to receive the holy fcripture in the fame fenfe which boly mother church hath held and doth hold: and the conclufion of the creed tells you, that without this you cannot be faved. And did pope Pius. really believe, that it was in the power of every private chriftian to know what fenfe mother church always had, and has at this day, concerning the feveral parts of scripture; or that belief must or can be fufpended by every private christian, till he comes to be acquainted with this fame fenfe of holy mother church? Has that which he calls holy mother church always and in all points believed and profeffed the fame things? Has there not been a great diverfity of fenti-, G

ments

ments in the church concerning fome paffages of fcripture? And is not fuch diverfity very confiftent with a found faith, and a chriftian life? But on which fide foever the truth is; how fhall a private chriftian, not train'd up to literature, but engaged in conftant bufinefs for his neceffary fupport; how, I fay, fhall fuch a one be able to know what have been the fentiments of the church in all paft ages? How fhall he search into all ecclefiaftical antiquity, and judge concerning it? And indeed, if he could; to what purpofe would it be, with regard to his own most important interests?

It is plain, that fuch a person cannot himself form the judgment, which by this article he is obliged to make. It is therefore as plain, that he is to take the prieft's word for it. What the the pricft tells him is and always has been the sense of the church, he must be obliged to believe. Yet even here he will be in a miferable state of uncertainty; because the priests themselves, and the greatest doctors of their church, differ among themselves, about the interpretation of fcripture. And therefore there is no way of coming at a folid fatisfaction, but the true proteftant way, of getting the best helps we can, and then judging for our felves.

I fhall only just observe, concerning the latter part of this article, wherein the private christian promises never to interpret fcripture otherwife than according to the unanimous confent of the fathers; that the neceflary confequence is, he must never interpret the fcripture at all, or take it in any fense whatever. For it is certain, from the

writings

writings of the fathers, that there was no fuch thing as a unanimous consent among them; that in the fame age fome differed from others, as well as that one generation produced fentiments contrary to thofe of former ages: and not only fo; but that the fathers differ'd from themselves, juft as men in the prefent age are known to do. What becomes then of this unanimous confent of the fathers? or what business has any chriftian

to make it an article of his faith? But fo the church of Rome has by the mouth of pope Pius decreed and herein has evidently taught for doEtrines the commandments of men.

The third article is as follows.

III. I do profefs and believe: that there are truly and properly feven facraments of the new law, inftituted by Jefus Chrift, and necessary to the falvation of mankind, tho' not all of them necessary to every one; that is to fay, baptifm, confirmation, the eucharift, penance, extreme unction, orders, and matrimony: and that they confer grace: and that among these, baptifm and orders cannot be reiterated without facrilege. I do likewife receive and admit the received and approved rites of the catholic

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catholic church in the folemn adminiftration of all the aforefaid facraments.

This article introduces a trifling dispute about the number of facraments; trifling in this refpect, because it is about the meaning of a word, which is never once in the whole new teftament used in that fenfe, to which it is here applied. But befides this, the article is full fraught with errors: and ends, like the two preceding, with a blind, implicit faith in the church; admitting and receiving all the received rites of the church, be they ever so inconfiftent with the written commands of the great legiflator.

With regard to these rites of adminiftration, I cannot forbear obferving, how much the church of Rome has darkened the plain institutions of Chrift by fuperftitious additions of her own. Particularly, the ordinance of baptifm, which in its naked fimplicity clearly holds forth the defigns for which it was appointed, is most miserably defaced and abused by the exorcifms, or driving out of devils, the breathings, the impofitions of hands, the falt, the oil, the incenfe, the spittle, and a great number of other additions, to which the Roman ritual directs, but which have no footstep in Chrift's own inftitution. In the eucharift they have added the idolatrous adoration of the hoft: not to mention the luftrations of the people, the variety of the prieft's garments according to different seasons, the frequent joinings of his hands, croffings of his breaft, kneelings, turnings of his whole bo

dy,

dy, lighting of candles in broad day-light, ceremonies at uncovering and covering the pyxis, feparation of priests and people in communicating, ferving the priests always firft, and many more particulars, which might be mention'd. Innumerable almost are the ceremonies, with which the church of Rome has darkened and disguised these two plain institutions of Christ. No wonder therefore, that they are fo ceremonious in other points. No wonder, that their own facrament of penance, which you are to take for the whole procefs of Christ's doctrine of repentance, requires the fervile kneeling to the priest, in confeffion and abfolution; and the endless fuperftitions of obeying his commands, arbitrarily enjoined as fatisfactions for fin. Nor is there any room to wonder at the tiresome, unfeasonable ceremonies used in extreme unction, about a poor dying creature, who wants all the comfort his friends can give him: or at the magnificence of their facrament of orders, in fetting one frail mortal apart to minister in holy things to others, fo vaftly different from the fimplicity of the primitive times. To fay nothing of the other Romish facraments: these things, one would think, should be enough with those who have ever studied their bible, to convince them, that popery is fomething very different from chriftianity. For if they are the fame thing; why does popery fo much abound in rituals, and lay fuch a stress upon them? why are not papifts content with Christ's own directions, which in the ritual kind are very few? why will they ordain fo many rites and ceremonies of their own? and why

especially