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which no man could yield them upon better information and is it reasonable that men of that ftamp fhould fecure their empire by the ignorance of the people? Ignorance ought to be the mother of devotion with none but thofe that cannot be devout upon better terms: it is the glory of a man that he is religious upon reafon, and that his duty and facrifice (Lev. xxii. 18, 29.) are not blind or forced, but free and reafonable. Truth upon knowledge, though vexed with fchifm, wife and good men will choofe, before ignorant religion, and all its fuperftitious effects, with uniformity. Enough of this.

But this notion of an infallible visible judge, is as falfe in reafon as in fact. For, firft, it takes away the use of every man's reafon; and it is a contradiction to have any, unless he were fuch an interpreter, and fuch a judge, as would conclude us by conviction, and not by authority that would be the most welcome perfon in the world. But to over-rule my own fight, to give the lie to my own understanding, fay, black is white, and that two and three make ten; thus fubjugare intellectum in obfequium fidei; to yield my understanding to fuch an in-evident way of faith, nay, which is worse, to believe a lie, (for fo it is to them, to whom the thing to be believed appears untrue) is most unreafonable.

If we must be led, it had been easier for us to have been born blind; we might then have better followed the dog and the bell; for we could not mend ourselves: but to fee, and to be led, and that in ways we fee to be foul or wrong, this is anxious. Here lies the difpute and truly here the queftion might fairly end,

Either put out our eyes, or let us use them.' But if we have eyes for our minds as well as for our bodies, I fee no reason why we should trust any man, or men, against the eyes of our understanding, any more than we ought to confide in them againft the fenfe and certainty of the eyes of our bodies.

Where is the pooreft mechanick that would be paid for his labour in bafe coin for filver, by either pope

or

or bishop? And can we be fo brutish, as to think our nobler part void of distinction, about that treasure which is of eternal moment? For though Peter was to feed the sheep, yet the fheep were not to follow Peter, but Christ. "My fheep hear my voice," fays he, " and "follow me, and a ftranger they will not follow," John x. 14. Here is no mediator betwixt Chrift and his fheep; nor does any body else hear his voice for them; but they hear his voice themselves. And though the shepherd may have many fervants, yet" be only is "their fhepherd, and they are only the fheep of his "fold."

But there are three places of fcripture, that come fresh into my remembrance, that are very pertinent to the present occafion. The firft is this, Rom. i. 19. "That which may be known of God, is manifeft in

men, for God hath fhewed it unto them:" that is, "The Spirit of man, being the candle of the Lord,” Prov. xx. 27. God hath enlightened it, to manifeft unto man what is neceffary for him to know both of God and himself. Here is no need of wax candles, or tapers, or a visible guide and church; for still, he that "believes, has the witness in himself."

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Another paffage is this: "Be ye followers of me, even as I am also of Chrift." I Cor. xi. I. In which the apostle is fo far from setting himself up a judge over the church at Corinth, that he makes his appeal to them concerning his doctrine and converfation, regulating both by that of his Lord Jefus Chrift, and making them judges of the truth of his conformity to that example. "Be ye followers of me:" how? After what manner? What! Abfolutely, without examination? Muft we believe thee without any trial, and take what thou fayeft for granted, without any more to do? No fuch thing."Be ye followers of "me, even as I also am of Chrift: I fubmit myself to be judged by you according to that rule; and all men and churches are to be thus measured, that lay claim to the name of Chriftian: the text will bear it.

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The third paffage is in his fecond epiftle to the fame church of Corinth; it is this; 2 Cor. iv. 1, 2. "Therefore feeing we have this miniftry, as we have "received mercy, we faint not, but have renounced "the hidden things of difhonefty, not walking in "craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitful"ly; but, by manifeftation of the truth, commending "ourselves to every man's confcience in the fight of "God." Here is the utmost impofition the apoftle makes us of: he requires not men to receive him without evidence, and refers himself to that of their own confciences in the fight of God. This was the way of making Chriftians then; it must be the way of keeping and making men Chriftians now.

Confcience, in the best fenfe of the word, has ever been allowed to be a bond upon men in all religions: but that religion, whoever holds it, which, under pretence of authority, would fuperfede confcience, and inftead of making men better (the end of religion) make them worfe, by confounding all fenfe and diftinction betwixt good and evil, and refolving all into an implicit faith and blind obedience unto the commands of a visible guide and judge, is falfe; it cannot be otherwife. For to admire what men do not know, and to make it a principle not to enquire, is the laft mark of folly in the believer, and of imposture in the impofer. To be fhort, a Chriftian implies a man; and a man implies confcience and understanding: but he that has no confcience nor understanding, (as he has not, that has delivered them up to the will of another man) is no man, and therefore no Chriftian.

I do befeech you Proteftants, of all forts, to confider of the danger of this principle, with refpect to religion. Of old it was the Fool that faid in his heart,

there is no God?" But now, upon this principle, men must be made fools, in order to believe there is one. Shall folly, which is the fhame, if not the curfe of man, be the perfection of a Chriftian? Christ, indeed, has advised us to become as "little children," but never to become fuch fools; for, as the proverb is,

this is to be led by the nofe, and not by our wits. You know that God hates the " Sacrifices of fools:"

Ecclef. v. 1. "I will pray with the fpirit and with "the understanding alfo," faith the apostle. I Cor. xiv. Let us commend that teftimony, which we believe to be true, to the confciences of men, and let them have the gospel privilege of Examination. Error only lofes upon trial. If this had been the way to Christianity, (with reverence be it spoken) God had not made our condition better, but worse; for this tranflates our faith and dependance upon God, to man; and the poffibility, if not probability, of man's erring, expofes us to a greater infecurity than before: for where I never trufted, I never could be deceived: but if I must abandon my own fenfe and judgment, and yield myself up to the faith and authority of another, (to fay no more of the blindness and lamenefs of fuch belief and devotion) what fecurity can I have, that the man or men whom I trust, may not err, and deceive me? And that deceit is irreparable.

Again; fince man is a reafonable creature, and that the more reasonable he is in his religion, the nearer to his own being he comes, and to the wifdom and truth of his Creator, that did fo make him; a religion without reafon, impofed by an unaccountable authority, against reafon, fenfe and conviction, cannot be the religion of the God of truth and reafon: for it is not to be thought that he requires any thing that carries any violence upon the nature of his creature, or that gives the lie to that reafon or fenfe with which he firft endowed him. In fhort, either convince my underhanding by the light of truth and power of reafon, or bear down my infidelity with the force of miracles: for not to give me understanding or faith, and to prefs a submiffion that requires both, is most unreasonable.

But if there were no other argument than this, it goes a great way with me; that as to fuch as have their understanding at liberty, if they are mistaken, there may be hopes of reclaiming them, by informing them: but where the understanding and confcience are enflaved

to

to authority, and where men make it a principal doctrine, to fufpect their own fenfe, and ftrive against their own convictions; to move only by other mens breath, and fall down to their conclufions; nothing feems to be left for the foundest arguments, and clearest truths, to work upon. They had almoft need to be recreated, in order to be converted; for who can reasonably endeavour to make him a Chriftian, that is not a man ; which he cannot be truly faid to be, who has no understanding, or refolves not to use it, but reject it, which is yet worfe: for he that has no understanding, has no prejudice against it; but he that purposely denies and abufes it, is fo much worfe, as that he turns enemy to him that has and ufes his understanding. He, therefore, can never be convinced of his error, who is prejudiced against the necessary means of conviction, which is the ufe of his understanding; without which it is impoffible he should ever be convinced.

To conclude, I have reserved, till laft, one argument, which is ad hominem, unanfwerable by us Proteftants; and without yielding to which, we cannot be confiftent with ourfelves, or be thought to do unto others what we would have others do unto us; and that is this. The tranflation of the Scripture was the painful work of our ancestors; and this I call their most folemn appeal to the people, against the Pope and traditions of Rome, in the business of their feparation. For when the question arofe of the Divine Authority of this or the other practice in the doctrine or worship of the Roman church, presently they recurred to the fcriptures, and therefore made them fpeak English, that they might witness for them to the people. This appeal to the people, in defence of their feparation, by making them judges of their proceeding againft the church, according to the teftimony of the Holy Scripture, puts every man in poffeffion of them. Search the fcriptures,' fay the first Proteftants; prove all things; fee if what we fay against the Pope and church of Rome be not true. And in cafe any difficulty did arise, they exhorted all to wait upon God, for the divine aid of

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