men of her communion, in divers countries of Europe, is chiefly owing moft of that ignorance, fuperftition, idolatry, perfecution and blood-fhed that have been among Chriftians, fince the Chriftian profeffion hath grown to any power in the world. I fhall confider them feverally, refpecting us, and in their due order, with as much brevity as well I can.

That human authority hath been preferred above reafon and truth, that is, that the apprehenfions, interpretations, conclufions, and injunctions of men have been reputed the great neceffaries or effentials to falvation and Christian communion, infomuch as a fober and reasonable diffent hath been too often over-ruled, not by weight of argument or evidence of truth, but by the power and numbers of men in ecclefiaftical office and dignity, is, and speak modeftly, in a large degree true amongst us. The firft church-evil reprehended in this difcourfe may begin the proof, and give the first witness upon this part of the charge, viz. ‹ That • opinions have been made articles of faith; that is, the conftructions and conclufions of men from facred < writ, and not the text itself, have been enjoined and • impofed as effential to eternal falvation, and exter⚫nal Chriftian communion,' Infomuch that no reafon, fcripture, or pureft antiquity, hath been suffered to prevail against fuch determinations, and too often not enough to excufe those that have pleaded for a confcientious diffent from them; the authors of them either refting upon the authority of their own judgments, or conforming themselves to the example of ages lefs pure and clear.

I confcientiously refufe to name parties, because I am tender of giving the leaft offence; but upon a juft obfervance of those revolutions of proteftancy that have been amongst us, we may fee with what stiffness, not to fay obftinacy, feveral models of religion and draughts of creeds have been contended for. I would befeech every party, in Chrift's name, to look into itself, for I do not; because such are best able (if they will be impartial, and put no cheat upon themselves)

to

to make the application of what I fay. However, I will name those points, about which the authority of man, as it seems to me, has been fo pofitive.

Of

God, as to his prefcience and predetermination: of Chrift, as to his natures and perfonality, and the extent of his death and interceffion: of free-will and grace: of faith and works: of perfeverance and falling-away: of the nature and power of the church: and, lastly, of the dignity and power of the clergy.'

And if men please but to lay their hands upon their hearts, and caft their eyes upon the fcriptures; if they will but use the light that God has afforded them, and bring fuch debates and results to the test of that light, and the found form of words the Holy Ghoft hath used and preserved amongst us, I need not take the employment upon me of pointing to human authority among the feveral parties of Proteftants, as to these points, fince nothing will be clearer. For it is about the meaning of this, and the intention of that place of fcripture, the conteft hath been and ftill is; and how to maintain and propagate thofe conceits: fo that the falling out is in the wood of our own opinions, and there the contention is kindled, that confumes all about our ears: a moft unwarrantable curiofity and nicety, for the most part, that has more influence upon our paffions than our practice; which is ufually the worse in point of charity, and not the better for them in any thing. O that we would but be impartial, and see our own over-plus to the fcriptures, and retrench that redundancy, or keep it modeftly! for it is an horrid thing that we Proteftants fhould affume a power, of ranging our buman apprehenfions with the facred text, and enjoining our imaginations for indifpenfable articles of faith and Chriftian communion.

But the next proof of the prevalency of human authority amongst us Proteftants, is The great power and fway of the clergy, and the people's reliance upon them for the knowledge of religion, and the way of life and falvation.' This is fuch plain fact, that every parish more or lefs proves it. Is not prophecy, VOL IV. I

once

"

once the church's," now engroffed by them, and wholly in their hands? Who dare publickly preach or pray, that is not of that class or order? Have not they only the keys in keeping? May any body elfe pretend to the power of abfolution or excommunication? Much less to conftitute minifters? Are not all church rites and privileges in their cuftody? Do not they make it their proper inheritance? Nay, fo much larger is their empire than Cafar's, that only they begin with births, and end with burials; men must pay them for coming-in and going-out of the world: to pay for dying is hard! Thus their profits run from the womb to the grave; and that which is the lofs of others, is their gain, and a part of their revenue. Both lives and deaths do bring grift to their mill, and toll to their exchequer, for they have an estate in us for our lives, and an heriot at our deaths.

It is of this great order and fet of men only, that all fynods and convocations are, of modern ages, compounded; and what they determine, is called the canons or decrees of the church; though, alas! fhe is only to obey, what they of the gown ordain; giving us thereby to understand, that they want the authority of her name, where they deny her to have a part, or to be prefent.

But they have not only been the ufual starters of new opinions, and the great creed-makers among Chriftians, but the sway they have long had with the people, makes them fo confiderable an intereft in the eyes of the civil magiftrate, that he often finds it not for his fafety to disoblige them. Upon this it is, that we fee them fo fuccessful in their folicitations of publick authority to give its fanction to their opinions and forms; and not only recommend them (which goes certainly a great way with the people) but impofe their reception, and that on severe penalties: infomuch, that either men must offer up their understandings to their fears, and diffemble conviction, to be fafe, or else

t1 Cor. xiv.

perish:

perish there is no medium. Something of this lies near us: God Almighty open our eyes to fee both the truth and mifchief of this thing.

But what shall I fay of that implicit reverence the people have for the clergy, and dependance upon them about religion and falvation; as if they were the only trustees of truth, and high-treasurers of divine knowledge to the laity: and we daily fee, that the blind opinion they have of their office (as that which is peculiar to that order, and not common to Chriftians, be their gifts as they will) difpofes them to rely entirely upon their performances. The minifter is choofer and tafter, and every thing for them: they seem to have delivered up their fpiritual felves, and made over the business of religion, the rights of their fouls, to their paftor; and that fcarcely with any limitation of truth too: and, as if he were, or could be, their guarantee in the other world, they become very unfolicitous of any farther fearch here. So that if we would examine the respective parishes of Proteftant as well as Popish countries, we fhall find, and it is come to that fad pass, that very few have any other religion than the tradition of their priest. They have given up their judgment to him, and feem greatly at their eafe, that they have discharged themselves of the trouble of "working out their own falvation, and proving all "things, that they might hold fast that which is "good," and, in the room of that care, bequeathed the charge of thofe affairs to a standing penfioner for that purpose.

Thus the clergy are become a fort of mediators betwixt Chrift and us; that as we must go to God by Christ, so must we come to Chrift by them: they must be, it seems, like the high-priest under the law, who only entered into the holy of holies; whofe lips "preferved knowledge;" and by them we must underftand the divine oracle. As if the mysteries of salvation were not to be intrufted with the vulgar, or that it were a kind of profanation to expofe them to their I 2 view;

view; and the only way to make them cheap and contemptible to fuffer every Chriftian to have the keeping of them; though they belong to every Chriftian. But this language, thanks be to God! is that of human authority, that would magnify the mysteries of salvation by the ignorance of those that should know them; as if the gospel-difpenfation were not that of full age, but infancy or minority.

It is true, the state of people under the law and the Levitical priesthood is called "a ftate of bondage, child"hood and minority," and the law therefore is termed a "School-mafter to bring us to Chrift;" but it is as true, that the ftate of Christianity is reputed the age of " grace, freedom, manhood, and inheritance," by the fame apoftle: and that we should have external guardians of our faith and religion upon us, after we are come to years of difcretion, that might be very allowable under the feeble ftate of our minority, is not to obtain greater freedom, but to make our cafe worse. For it is more tolerable to be used as children when we are children, and know nothing above that condition, than when riper years have brought us to the understanding and refentment of men. But it is almost as unpardonable, as it is unfufferable, to make that infancy the Perfection of the Chriftian religion;' as if there were nothing beyond wearing a bib, and being fed, carried and governed as nurfes please; that is, as the priest will. It is a knowing and reafonable, and not a blind obedience, that commends a man: children fhould be ruled, because they have not fo ripe an understanding, or choice; but because it is not fo with men, reafon ought to conduct them in their duty, that the fervice they perform to God may be fuch as the apoftle calls a reafonable one: the will is no longer will, if not free: nor confcience to be reputed confcience, where it is compelled. The gofpel is not the time of ceremonial works, but of faith; therefore not coercive, because out of our own power; it is the gift of God.

Gal. iii.

But