they and they alone are the Church of Christ All others who are called Christians in the World are Hereticks and Schismaticks who belong not unto it nor have any Interest in it Howbeit if the description given us of the Church of Christ in the Scripture be right and good it is almost impossible there should be any Society or combination of men on a religious account more unlike it than that which is called the Church of Rome This therefore must be taken upon their own credit and vehement Affirmation by them who have a mind so to do 2. That this Church which they alone are is entrusted with Authority over the souls and consciences of all Christians and all that would be so to be their only Guide in all that they are to know believe and do in Religion so that whoever gives not themselves up unto their conduct must perish eternally It were no hard task to manifest that a supposition hereof is destructive unto the Nature of Evangelical Faith and Obedience as also of all the Directions and Precepts given by Christ and his Apostles for the discharge of our Duty with respect unto them But this they must obtain or the whole present Popal Interest falls unto the ground Yet neither will a supposition that there is such a Church secure them their own pretences to be this Church being openly contradictory to the Scripture Nor is the Power claimed herein derived from the Apostles who professed themselves not to be Lords of the Faith of Believers 2 Cor. 1. 24. 1 Pet. 5. 3. 3. They plead that hereon no more is required of any man who takes care of his Salvation but that he give up himself absolutely and entirely unto the conduct of their Church believing what it proposeth and that on this ground alone that it is proposed by it and obeying all its commands whereby they seem to set this pretended Guide in the Temple of God shewing him that he is God This is the claim of the Church of Rome these are the Principles whereinto it is resolved which whether they have any thing in them of Truth or Modesty will immediately be made to appear Secondly The Holy Scripture with the Divine Aids and assistances for the understanding thereof which God hath promised unto all that diligently seek him is pleaded to be the only Rule and Guide that men ought to betake themselves unto in case of those important differences in Religon which are under consideration And the plea on the behalf thereof is reducible unto these five Heads 1. That this Scripture is a Divine supernatural Revelation of God his Mind and his Will This Foundation is unquestionable and will never fail them that build upon it Those of the Roman Religion will propose ensnaring Questions about it unto them on whom they design They will be asking how they know the Scripture to be the Word of God labouring to disprove the evidences they produce to prove it so to be But this bold artifice is of no use in this case for themselves confess it so to be only they prefer the Authority of their Church testifying it so to be as more safely to be rested in and trusted unto than that of God himself which cannot be unto the advantage of their cause with any considerate Persons 2. That it is a Divine Revelation of the whole Mind and Will of God as unto all things that are necessary unto his Glory and our Salvation This it frequently testifieth of it self and on the former supposition of its being such a Divine Revelation its Testimony must be granted to be infallibly true Both these Assertions the Apostle expresly conjoyneth 2 Tim. 3. 15 16 17. Somewhat they except here in respect of their unwritten Traditions but dare not positively deny that the Scripture is a sufficient Revelation of all things absolutely necessary unto Salvation Indeed to do so will leave no assurance unto any man that he can ever know what is necessary unto salvation But they have a reserve whereunto they betake themselves on a concession hereof namely that whatever be contained in it it cannot be understood but as the sense of it is declared by their Church But this is a bold unproved presumption contrary unto the design of God in giving us his Word and the experience of all who have been exercised in it 3. The Way Manner and Method of this Revelation are such as are suited unto Divine Wisdom and Goodness whether they please men or no. It is with reference unto these things that they expatiate and enlarge themselves in charging the Scripture with obscurity and unfitness thereon to be our only Rule and Guide For the Bible they say is a Book composed of Histories Prophecies Songs Prayers and Epistles and is therefore unmeet for any such use or end But these things are of no consideration in our present case It is thus given out immediately by God himself and therefore every way answers Divine Wisdom and Goodness whether men are pleased with it or no we are not at all concerned He who designed it for the instruction of the Church alone knows what was to be the Method of its composure unto that end And it hath been proved on another occasion that considering the state of the Church in its several Ages the nature of that Faith which is to be wrought and confirmed by this Divine Revelation with the manner of teaching becoming the Authority of God and the holy Scripture could not have been given out unto us in any other Order or Method than that wherein it is disposed 4. On these suppositions there neither is nor can be more required of us in order unto our eternal salvation but that we understand aright firmly believe and yield obedience unto the Revelation of the Mind and Will of God that is made therein The Assurance hereof is so evidently included in the foregoing Assertions that it needs no confirmation Every thought unto the contrary is so injurious unto the Wisdom Goodness Grace and Truth of God so opposite unto all the Notions of the Minds of men on a supposition of Gods speaking unto them that it ought to be rejected with detestation 5. There are efficacious Aids promised and assured means appointed by God himself to help all that diligently seek him unto a certain infallible understanding of his Mind in the Scripture so far as the Knowledge of it is necessary unto our Salvation This also I have lately confirmed in a peculiar discourse These are the Heads whereunto the Plea for the Guidance of the Scripture in all differences and divisions about Religion may be reduced The case being thus plainly stated the enquiry hereon is whether of these Guides a man that takes care of his own eternal Salvation should betake himself and firmly adhere unto to the end In answer unto this Enquiry I shall prove that no wise man who feareth God and is careful of the eternal condition of his own soul
Wherefore for men to suffer themselves to be inveagled their souls to be perverted and their Faith overthrown by a few captious Sophystical Reasonings of men of perverse minds pursuing their own secular Interest to turn aside from the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ and his Apostles in so plain evident and indisputable a case and Duty is such a folly in it self such an impiety against God such a contempt of the Lord Christ his Wisdom Authority and Care as must be eternally accounted for Thirdly The things for the most part which this pretended Guide proposeth unto and imposeth on the Consciences Faith and Practice of them who give up themselves unto its conduct are so unreasonable so contrary unto the common sense of Christians and the very first notions of the minds of men any way enlightened with the Doctrine of the Gospel so directly opposite unto the design of God in the Revelation of himself unto us and his commands concerning our Faith and Obedience that it is a thing astonishable how they should attain an access unto them who have any sense of these things But when once men have their eyâ—s bored out as they do it for themselves in the Resignation they make of their understandings and consciences unto the conduct of this Church they must grind whatever is brought unto them I shall briefly instance in some few things of this sort 1. The keeping of the Scripture from their daily and continual use I speak not directly unto them who being brought up from their infancy in that Church know nothing of the Scripture but that the Bible is an obscure dangerous Book unto all Lay-men which Hereticks make use of unto their advantage Such Persons can be contented to want it or be without it all their lives especially seeing it is full of Light and Principles inconsistent with their carnal Lusts and Interest But I speak of such who many of them like Timothy have known the Scriptures from Children and having been conversant in them have had some experience of their Power Unto such as these come Persons in the name and on the behalf of this pretended Guide And a compass of plausible words they will use fit to distract and amuse weak and unstable minds But the plain sense of what they say in this case is cast away this Bible this Book it doth but perplex you and disturb your minds with things that are above you which you cannot understand and is therefore an occasion of almost all the pernicious errors that are in the World Will not any such Person be ready to say hath God given this Book this alone as the only Revelation of his Mind and Will unto us as the Guide and Rule whereby we may come unto the eternal Enjoyment of him which you dare not directly deny hath he commanded me to Read Study Meditate and be conversant in it continually have I found the benefit of the Light counsel and consolation administred by it in my own soul and shall I now forsake it cast it away to betake my self unto your Guidance and direction shall I forsake God and Christ and the Holy Spirit all the Prophets and Apostles who daily speak unto me in and by this word to comply with you The very horror of the Proposal is enough to secure the minds of any who have the least spark of spiritual Light or Grace from a compliance with it Wherefore whether it be reasonable to leave the Word of God which is full of Light shining like the Sun in the Firmament to follow the glimmerings of this wandring Meteor which arose out of an horrible pit and there will end is left unto their consideration who take care of the eternal salvation of their own souls 2. The Solâ—mn Worship of God by the Guides of the Church in a Tongue and Language which the people do not understand is another of their Proposals This they are bound to attend unto on pain of damnation But how any thing can be more contrary unto the common sense of them who know what it is to pray in a due manner no man can conceive As unto them who do not yet is it not hard to convince them where they are not obstinate on other prejudices how irrational this Proposal is how inconsistent with that reasonable service that God requireth of us Others will say that they find hinderances and difficulties enough from and in this Duty from the weakness of their Faith and instability of their Minds the suggestions of Satan with diversions from outward objects if you add thereunto that they shall not understand a word of what is spoken in Prayer and they know well enough they shall never pray at all And the Truth is did we not know whence they took occasion for this strange contrivance so contrary to the nature of all Religion and what advantage they make of it unto themselves it could never be sufficiently admired how such a sensless Imagination should befall their Minds I do not design to shew how contrary it is to Scripture Precepts and Examples to the practice of all the Saints under the Old Testament and the New with that of the Primitive Churches and on all accounts what an abominable Sacriledge it is so to rob the Church of its chiefest Treasure it hath been done by others sufficiently I only give it as an instance how unmeet this pretended Church is to be such a Guide as whereunto we are to make an absolute Resignation of our understandings and consciences in all concerns of Religion And there is nothing that can make them who have any regard unto their own souls to reject its Guidance with more detestation Shall they accept them for their Guide in Religion who under pain of damnation confine them in all the publick Worship of the Church unto the use of a Language that they do not understand That instead of praying with their understandings they must be content with a dumb shew with postures and gestures with Altars and Pictures the antick actings of a Priest and a noise of words whose sense they know not at al If a man would seek for an Infallible Guide to Hell it is hard to find one more likely and better qualified unto that purpose than is this Church of Rome 3. There is at the same instant proposed unto us by this Guide the Doctrine of Transuâ—stantiation with the Sacrifice of the Mass thereon depending This they say we must believe at least avow that we do believe on pain of eternal and temporal destruction also But herein they require of us that on the meer credit of their conduct we must renounce the use of our senses the exercise of our Reason and actings of Faith on Divine Revelations all things whereby we are either Men or Christians that we may become blind Idolaters But they who pretending to be our Guides in Religion do thereon impose this monstrous Imagination on our credulity with the Idolatrous Practice
wherein it issues had need give us better security of their Divine Infallibility than the Angels in Heaven can do For if an Angel from Heaven should preach this Doctrine unto us we may safely esteem him accursed Gal. 1. 8. 4. The last thing I shall instance in of this kind is the Adoration or Worship of Images God saies concerning it expresly Thou shalt not make unto thy self any graven Images thou shalt not bow dow to them nor worship them They say contrary Thou shalt make unto thy self graven Images thou shalt bow down to them and adore them And in their use they make them the stage plaies in Religion wherewith the minds of ignorant unstable Persons are allured and seduced into all manner of superstitious practices and turned off from the simplicity of the Gospel For being once perswaded on the credit of their Guide that the making use and Adoration of them are lawfull there is enough in the carnal minds of men to make them dote and even be mad upon them Wherefore no less service is done unto the interest of sin and the Kindom of Satan hereby than if they should have taken off all sense of the Authority of God from the consciences of men in the Prohibition of those things which their sensual lusts are most prone unto Could they have dissolved the obligation of the commands of God against Adultery or Stealing and left men unto the guidance of their own lusts and inclinations it is evident what abominable excesses the generality of men would run into Neither do the lusts of the mind engage persons with less fierceness into the pursuit of their objects than do those of the flesh And thence the disannulling of this command of God hath been an inlet unto all abominable Idolatry But herein they will not allow those who give up themselves unto their conduct once to consider the direct contradiction that is between Gods commands and theirs but believe they must what their Church believes and practise accordingly which is the most intollerable Tyranny over the souls of men that ever was attempted Only they will tell us of Latria and Dulia and Hyperdulia of Religious Worship that is direct or reductive transient or terminated on this or that object and after a maze of the like insignificant Terms the conclusion is positive You shall worship graven Images There are also sundry other things wherein they do or would impose on the credulity of men in open contradiction unto their Sense Reason and Experience as well as unto all evidence of Truth from the Light and Guidance of the Scripture which are somewhat of another Nature than those foregoing I shall only mention some of them As 1. They would have us believe that we cannot believe the Scripture to be the Word of God but upon the Testimony and Authority of their Church All the evidence that a man is capable of in his own mind that he doth so believe it all that can be given in ordering our lives according unto it as the Word of God the assurance and Peace which multitudes of all sorts have in resolving all their interest in things eternal into the Faith of it the sufferings and martyrdomes which many have undergone in the confirmation of it the uncontroulable pleas that are made of the sufficiency of the Motives whereon we believe it so to be are nothing with them but we must say we cannot believe the Scripture to be the Word of God but only on the Testimony and Authority of their Church and therein both give our selves the lye as unto what we know and are assured of and judge millions to Hell who have lived and died in the Faith of it without any respect unto that Testimony or Authority 2. They will have us to believe what they do not indeed believe themselves As for instance Justification by our own works For practically many of them do for this end trust unto Absolutions Masses the Sacraments and Sacramentals of the Church with a reserve for the complement of it in Purgatory which are not our own works and some of the wisest of them do betake themselves at last to the only Mercy and Grace of God So would they have us to venâ—ure our souls on that whereon they will not adventure their own 3. Papal Personal Infallibility was once a principal Article of their Creed and the generality of their Proselytes do receive it from them with no less firm assent than they do unto that of Christ himself But among themselves they have so multiplied their wrangling Disputes about it as makes it evident that they believe it only so far as holds proportion with their Interest and is subservient thereunto indeed not at all Their Disputes of a Difference between the Court of Rome and the Church of Rome of the Pope in his Chair and out of it in the use of help and advice of others and without this in a General Council and without it in a particular Council and without it in matter of Right and of Fact and the like make it evident that they know not in what sense to believe it and so indeed believe it not at all And whereas they do themselves confess that some of their Popes have been of the worst of men yea monsters for luxury uncleanness and violence that which they require of us is not only hard and unreasonable but impossible for any sober man to grant namely that we believe such Persons to have been infallible in the Declaration of all Divine Heavenly Mysteries so as that we ought to acquiesce in their Declaration of them 4. They would have us believe that the same Body of Christ which was once in the fulness of time made of a woman by the Power of God is every day made of a wafer by the Power of a Priest And what indignities are hereby cast on his Person hath been sufficiently demonstrated These are some of the Proposals which this pretended Guide makes unto all them who give up themselves unto its conduct to be believed with a suitable practice on the pain of eternal damnation But yet evident it is that they are all of them contrary unto the common Sense Reason and Experience of all Christians all that believe the Gospel as well as directly contradictory unto the Scripture and Example of the Primitive Church It is therefore left unto the Judgment of all sober Persons such as are not yet made drunk with the Cup of their Abominations to determine whether any thing but either profound Ignorance and spiritual Darkness or love of Sin with a desire to live securely therein or secular Interests or an hardening Judgment for the abuse of the Truth or a concurrence of all them can prevail with men to make an entire absolute Resignation of their souls and all their eternal concernments unto the conduct of this pretended Guide Fourthly The Way for the attaining the Knowledge of the Truth proposed by this Guide is