their Church declares it nor is any sense or meaning to be fixt upon as the certain sense of any Scripture but what they determine to be the meaning of the place Accordingly the Trent Council out of their great power have determined the vulgar Latin Translation of the Bible to be authentick and equal to the Greek and Hebrew originals Council of Trent Ses 4 though their own authors acknowledge it to be most false defective and in many things ridiculous Now then our faith is not ultimately resolved into the Scriptures we do not believe and obey because we know and are sure from Scripture that this is the mind of God but because the Pope or Church declare it to be the mind of God yea though the words of Scripture plainly condemn what they teach or though the Translation of a Scripture be contrary to the original which was indited by the spirit of God immediately yet if they say this is the meaning of the place and the true translation of it we must believe it The foundation then of all our faith and obedience is the determination of the Church or Pope Obj. But they are infallible they say Answ This they can never prove but if they were if I must believe meerly upon their Testimony and saying they are infallible my faith is still resolved into the witness of men their testimony concerning themselves is but a humane Testimony they do not cannot prove it by any divine infallible proof therefore my faith and obedience must ultimately pesolve into humane authority The Apostles were infallible yet had not they dominion over the faith of the Church 2 Cor. 12.24 to command what should be believed and practised but they proved by infallible and divine Testimony of miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost that what they taught came from God and so the belief of the people was built upon the Testimony of God to the Apostles doctrine 1. Cor. 2.4 5. the Apostle saith his preaching was in demonstration of the spirit and of power That their faith might not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God If their faith had been grounded upon the Apostles own Testimony of his self that he was infallible and upon his determination concerning any Scripture or doctrine out of his own wisdom though he had seemed to prove it strangely their faith had stood upon the authoty wisdom of man but therefore their faith was built on God because his spirit did powerfully demonstrate what the Apostle preacht to be from God therefore unless the Papists can prove their infallibility by miracles and demonstration of the spirit theirs is but a humane Testimony and so we know it is and a false one too and therefore it is an intolerable abuse to take the Church off from faith and obedience to Christ as the head commanding and ruling her and from the holy Spirit as inditing and confirming the holy Scriptures and to subject her to the authority and determinations of fallible and sometimes most wicked men To let pass that the Papists themselves not being agreed who is the infallible supreme judge whether the Pope Council or the whole Church no man of them hath any sure foundation for his Faith If they say the Scripture declares who is the supreme infallible Judge I answer that Judge must again tell us what is the meaning of that Scripture The Pope saith it means him the Council and Church say it means them here are three pretenders to supreme and infallible authority and to interpret the Scripture which soever a man adheres to it is two to one but he is mistaken however here is no way to determine who is the infallible Judge unless there be infallible marks and Testimonies of it given by God and then they are of the supreme authority and neither Pope Council nor Church themselves but such they can never produce Thus the whole matter is but an inconsistent juggle to bring the Church into subjection to the Pope 3. Because the Church of Rome takes away the Scriptures from the people yea and alloweth the Clergy themselves the use of the corrupt vulgar Translation of the Bible only Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God Rom. 10.14 How then shall the people get Faith or grow in it when they must not have the Scriptures to read themselves nor have them read to them by their teachers but in an unknown tongue and that Translation so corrupt also that if any of them should understand Latin they would yet have much difficulty to find the truth The Scriptures are Christs Law whereby he governs his Church and the peoples Magna Charta the Charter of all their priviledges and of all Gods promises spiritual and temporal to take this from them is to deprive them both of the rule of their obedience and of the foundation of all their faith and hope in God This is not to be endured upon any pretence whatsoever 4. Because they impose the celebration of Gods worship in an unknown tongue the Papists celebrate their prayers Sacraments and singing of Psalms all in Latin which as they know the people understand not so they would not have them understand it by this means the people are deprived of all true worship For worship is the reverence and affection of the soul to God either in ascribing honour to him or desiring of him and trusting in him for whatever we need This it is impossible man should give to God in and by those words and expressions which he understandeth not which for what he knows may blaspheme God or beg a curse instead of a blessing which as managed by illiterate Priests oftentimes are nonsense and signifie nothing and sometimes contrary to sound Doctrine yea may at all times for what the people know be directed to an Idol or a Devil instead of God For preaching of the word the Papists pretend but little to it And thus the Roman Church is a Church of Christ which acknowledgeth not him for her head and Governour nor his word for her rule and Law nor his worship for her practice but sabjecteth her self to a wicked man under the name of Christs Vicar taketh his will for her Law and his institutions for her worship without Question and without understanding This is an abuse Jot to be tolerated 5. The Idolary that the Papists impose on the Church the Apostle is express You cannot partake of the Table of the Lord and the Table of Devils the Cup of the Lord and the cup of Devils 1 Cor. wor-10 20 21. and these Devils he saith are shipped in Idols by Idolaters with whom therefore we must have no communion now the greatest part of the Papists worship consists in the worship and invocation of Saints Angels and the Virgin Mary and their waser-God which they practise upon the very same grounds on which the Heathens worshipt their Idols and therefore are Idolaters as well as the
the promoters of them did also promote their authority and strengthen their hands against the Godly and most serious part of the Church But the most usual causes of errors are ignorance of the Scriptures and of the principles of religion founded on them which in the primitive times had a great occasion given it by the prejudicate opinions that new Converts brought from Judaisme and Paganisme and from the new Testament not being fully written in a considerable time and the several books thereof not gathered into one volume in a long space after and chiefly corrupt affections Men will imbrace errors because they love not the truth Vse 1. This sheweth the necessity of adhering to the Scripture and of a standing Ministry If we stick not to the Scripture the pretence of the Spirit and Traditions will lead us into a wilderness where there is no end Heathens Mahometans Papists and all Enthusiasts will distract us by their several and contrary pretensions And if there be not a standing and learned Ministry Apocryphal Scriptures and false interpretations of Scripture will easily beguile the unskilful and hinder the edification of the more wise 2. The Papist's brags of infallibility of the Pope or Church and the necessity of it to the foundation of our faith is as foolish as it is untrue The Apostles and Apostolical men were infallible and yet this will not prevent errors and Heresies of the highest nature either in their own or in the next succeeding ages An infallible head or guide will not secure the Church from errors and divisions unless all the people be infallible likewise certainly able to discern the truth declared to them and perfectly free from all evil affections which may hinder their receiving and submitting to the truth 3. It is no Wonder to see errors and divisions in these last days of the Church sith they were in the first While men are subject to ignorance and evil affections there will be both errors and divisions and if we go to the Church of Rome to avoid all errors and Schisms because they boast of such Unity which was never promised nor long enjoyed by any Church we shall but do like Children that tear many little holes in a garment into one great one that comprehends them all and more and cannot be repaired Obs 2. It is certainly foretold that there should be an Apostasie in the Church The same Apostle almost in the same words foretels it 1 Tim. 4.1 The spirit speaks expresly that some shall depart from the faith The first Christians might be apt to expect the coming of Christ and their everlasting rest to be at hand from the love and joy they had conceived upon their first receiving the Gospel but they are here told that happy time is not so nigh There must come a departure of many from the faith first and many contests and persecutions should ensue thence and therefore they should arm themselves with patience to a conflict before they must expect the Crown When God made the world he made it wonderful great and large and stored it with almost infinite variety of creatures to set forth his own Majesty he hath also continued it some thousands of years with as great variety of providences in his governing of it to shew his manifold wisdom power mercy and justice and what will be the wonderful transactions of the world to come throughout eternity to set forth the glory of the â—ernal God no creature can conceive In like manner when our Lord came from Heaven to purchase a Church to serve him it was not quickly to expire but to conflict with the world and the Devil with enemies without and within through many changes and vicissitudes a considerable time and at last through faith and patience to inherit the promises It was long that the Church continued under the bondage of the Law and there were many changes and declinings of it at several times under the Judges and Kings of Judah but there was one great Apostasie of the Ten tribes under Jeroboam which ended in the ruin of that State and people Such a departure was there to be in the Christian Church signified here by the indeterminate word There shall come a departure or Apostasie for the falling off of a few particular persons was no strange thing but happened in every age Now such Apostasies are permitted 1. To punish the ingratitude of men for the Gospel Because they receive not the love of the truth because Christ and his Gospel are not welcome to the generality of men but any or no religion would content them as well if they might have outward peace and prosperity therefore Christ suffers them to be inticed with Errors and Heresies to their own destruction which at last bring publick calamities and ruin 2. To punish the Hypocrisie of others Some pretend great zeal and affection in the peace of the Church which is either meerly pretended for worldly interest or but a light and transient passion as in the stony ground who can never be perswaded to be zealous and rooted Christians Matth. 13.20 therefore when they have been tryed a convenient time opportunities of backsliding are sufferred to come to discover and shame them 3. To manifest and honour those that are sound 1 Cor. 11.18 19. There must be heresies among you that they which be approved may be made manifest among you When peace and truth meet together the sound and best Christians are unknown and for the most part less regarded than the Hypocrites that make more shew and noise Christ therefore suffers apostasies to come to discover and honour his sincere humble diligent and stedfast servants 4. Errors are also permitted to clear the trut more and make them that are sound more stedfast and strong The truths of the Gospel have in all ages been prejudiced by the zeal and good affection of some well minded as well as by the opposition of enemies because their affection over-run their judgment and their care to get a distinct knowledge of the principles of religion but the appearance of errours and corruptions makes them more careful to search the truth which hath been always more cleared and fortified by occasion of the oppositions against it and those who are upright have been put upon getting a clearer knowledge of the grounds of their faith worship and practices thereby 5. And in all this Christ manifesteth his distinguishing grace to some and his righteous judgments upon others Rom. 11.22 Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God on them which fell severity but towards thee goodness if thou continue in his goodness 6. Hereby all are stirred up to diligence and watchfulness When there shall come a falling away of many all are warn'd thereby to take care how they stand lest they also fall Rom. 11.20 Vse Be not therefore suprized at discouraged or tempted by the apostasies of others Though the Church be fair as the Moon she hath
and all means of intercourse and confidence in each other may be dissolved when the Pope or a Priest pleaseth If any Papist pretend to disown any of these doctrines I demand by what rule he doth it By the Scripture the Law of Nations or the Law of nature they all maintain the Pope is above these These are not a perfect rule neither apart nor together nor do reach all cases if they did there were no need of an infallible head to direct the Church nor any warrant for most of the worship and practices of the Church of Rome If then the Pope be above all and infallible then a Papist must believe that in this and that particular case that concerns him he may and must break his Oaths deny his promises murder lye or commit any such enormity when commanded or else he prefers his own judgement above the Popes and denies his principles Whence we may see that no trust is to be reposed in a Papist because they are not masters of their own reason and Conscience of their Oaths and promises but the Pope and their Confessours have the disposal of them all and make them do as they please and so long as their Church challengeth a power and jurisdiction over all the world and is always contending for it it is to be supposed their rulers will always put them upon those things that promote their own interest 10. Their doctrines that extenuate sin and make forgiveness very easiy are nothing else but doctrines of wickedness They extenuate sin by their doctrine of venial sins which they say are praeter non contra Legem not commanded by God nor forbidden of him and therefore scarce to be called sins Such they make all first thoughts and motions of the mind and affections to be when there is not a deliberate assent with them all wandering thoughts distractions in holy duties the stirrings of the most vile affections with some titillation or pleasing are all but natural actions and infirmities which do not deserve Hell or the wrath of God They make pardon of sin very easie Upon confession to the Priest he doth absolve upon some easie penance almost any sin and those reserved cases which the Priest cannot pardon are forgiven by the Pope for money There is a printed book called Taxa poenitentiariae Apostolicae wherein the prices are set down for all manner of sins and in the general all sins against God and his Law are more easily forgiven than those against the Popes law and Tradition What need men fear to commit sin that can be so easily remitted especially to them that have money They have also another device of transferring their sins upon their friends viz. a few friends agree together to take each others sins upon them so that he who dieth first leaveth his sins to be satisfied for by the Survivours and they again take others into their number and so can sin securely having Executors to pay their debts for them when they are dead The Sacrifice of the Mass offered for them by the Priest alone expiates all sin so that for 6 pence or 12 pence a Mass any sins may be taken away though they be not present or concerned about it or be committing wickedness the mean while Lastly Though a man live all his days in wickedness if he die in the communion of the Church of Rome and be absolved by a Priest which is rarely denyed to any he must go but to Purgatory and there satisfie for all his sins and at last be saved and if he leave any thing to the Church or his friends will buy Masses or prayers for him his time in Purgatory shall be shortened and his pains lessned 3. Thirdly Their Practice is as wicked as their doctrine not that only of particular persons which is incident to all societies but the allowed practice of the Church and that whereby their State is upheld To instance in a few 1. They persecute and by all means destroy all that submit not to them in every thing so that in Rome is found the blood of all the Saints and Martyrs that have been slain in all the earth being shed by her command About the year 750. the Popes Gregory 2. and 3. begun wars against the Emperors and their adherents in the defence of Image worship and afterward renewed them to obtain the right of investitures or bestowing of all Ecclesiastical preferments and to deprive the Emperours of their power of electing the Pope till they had brought the Emperours under their feet and compelled all the Clergy to put away their Wives Thus the Popes ruined all Christendom for about 400. years till they had got all the power into their hands and ever since they have shed blood in abundance to preserve what they had gotten They began with the Waldenses about the year 1160. of whom Tâ—uanus saith they had slain above two Millions and they have added many thousands more of late years of that poor people Afterward they destroyed many thousands in Bohemia in Germany both in the former and late wars Virgerius who was the Popes Nuncio tells us that in the space of 30. years at the first resormation their inquisition in several parts had secretly made away 150000 persons The Duke of Alva Governour of the Neatherlands in a few years is said to cut off 36000. The French Massacre Ann. 1572. in one Month treacherously and barbarously destroyed above 30000. In the late Irish rebellion Ann. 1641. they destroyed above 300000. of all ages and conditions and what they have done and attempted and do still attempt upon this Land is well known All these were authorized by the Popes and had their benediction and prayers for success besides the innumerable company of Martyrs which they have put to death by form of tryals in all countreys 2. Their toleration of all uncleanness besides what they allow in their Clergy privately They have publick Stews in all Cities of Italy and Spain and the Pope has a tribute from them for their Licences Pope Sixtus the 4. built at his own Charge a famous Stew in Rome both for men and women Paul the 3. had Catalogues found amongst his Papers after his death of 45000. Strumpets who payed him a monthly imposition 3. They are allowed Simony i. e. selling of all Ecclesiastical offices There is another book called Taxa cancalleriae apostolicae i. e. of the Popes Chamber wherein the prices of all benefices and promotions are set down no places of any value are disposed of without money A nameless Papist dedicated a book to King James wherein he acquaints him that all the Popes from Clement the 7. Called the new man to his time had got the Popedom by Simony and other indirect means This he was able to prove but he might truly have said so did all the rest for many ages before In England formerly benefices have been sold to two three or more sometimes to ten several persons and
Pagan which did impose her Idolatrous wrship upon the world Lastly that it is Rome Papal as it now is and hath been for many ages past which is this Babylon and not Rome when she shall utterly renounce the Christian faith in the end of the world as some Papists without shadow of reason fancy is proved in that she is arrayed in purple and Scarlet decked with gold and precious stones and pearls which is the garb of the Pope and his Cardinals In that she is the Mother of fornications Idolatries through the earth and that she is drunk with the blood of Saints and Martyrs Rome Papal having destroyed far more Christians than ever Heathen Rome did And that the beast that carries this whore the Roman State is full of names of blasphemy v. 3. the blasphemous titles and power which the Pope usurpeth to himself and his Roman Church above any heathen that ever was And especially in that the ten horns upon the head of the beast that carries this Whore which are ten Kingsarising out of the dissolution of the Roman Empire are said to have received no Kingdom in Johns time but to receive it one hour with the beast v. 12. yea to give their power to the beast to set him up and maintain his Empire and to be deluded by him till God shall turn their hearts against him to destroy him v. 13 -17 The beast himself also was to be the eighth head of the former great beast and yet one of the seven i. c. a new government in Rome for the manner of it not much different from the preceding Emperours all which are apparently fulfilled in the Pope and his adherents For when Augustulus laid down the Empire Ann. Chr. 476. there immediately appeared ten small Kingdomes sometimes more sometimes fewer in this Western part of the world and then the Pope began to usurp the dominion of Rome and both he and they grew up together and strengthened each other till they were all inslaved by him and had inabled him to trample Emperours under his feet likewise the declining or wane of Popedome in these too last ages hath been caused by the withdrawing of these very Princes from his subjection whose Kingdomes were once provinces of Rome and whose predecessors had given their power to the Pope and when a few more shall follow their example the Pope will lofe his triple Crown These things thus explained the Observation is clear Obs It is the command of Christ to all his people to withdraw from the communion of Papal Rome as they would avoid joyning in her sins and to those that have opportunity to forsake the dwellings of Rome as they would escape her plagues When the whole world after the flood apostatized from God and his worship God singled out the family of Abraham and in time increast them to a nation to put his name and to keep up his worship among them for this the rest especially their neighbours in the East hated and opposed them and the heads of this opposition were Egypt Niniveh and at last Babylon in Chaldea which swallowed up all her neighbours Thus there was a long contest betwixt the Church of the Jews who adhered to God and pure religion and Babylon which was become the head of the Pagan Apostasie in the East In like manner the Gospel was no sooner planted and spread throughout the Western world but there began a defection to Idolatry in the worship of Saints and Angels and after some while Rome became the head of this Apostasie and for above 1 thousand years past there hath been a continual contest betwixt a purer part of Christs Church scattered through divers Countries and this Mystical Babylon a certain number specified by one hundred forty four thousand Rev 14.1 have kept themselves pure from the whoredomes of Rome they were Virgins and followed the Lamb whithersoever he went and with them the Roman beast hath continually made war and still seeks to destroy them out of the earth now all that would be the faithful servants of Christ must joyn with this small persecuted company and neither comply with nor submit to Rome nor connive at her power and impositions as they would not be found guilty of her Apostasie and be swept away in her destruction To prove this because we speak to them who are already separated from Rome it will be sufficient to clear these 2 Questions which being cleared will also prove the duty of others to separate from her who yet either adhere to or lean towards her 1. Question whether there was a just ground for the Potestants to separate from the Church of Rome 2. Whether there can be any reconciliation of Protestants to Rome In which I shall be brief because a foundation is in a sort laid for it in the foregoing discourse 1. Qu. Whether Protestants did upon just and necessary grounds separate from the communion of the Church of Rome in her worship and discipline Answ They did which I thus prove 1. Because the Church of Rome hath altered the rule of the Christian faith The Church is a holy Common-wealth under the government of the Lord Jesus Christ and he governs it by his laws contained in the holy Scriptures these are the rule of their worship and obedience to him Math. 28.18 19 20. He that alters this rule altereth the fundamental constitution of the Church But the Church of Rome hath altered this rule they teach the Scriptures to be a defective insufficient rule and therefore they joyn to them the Apocryphal books of the Old Testament and the Traditions of the Church which also they receive and reject at their pleasure Decrees of Councils and decretals and decisions of Popes all these together are the perfect rule that the Papists acknowledge and pretend to I say pretend because the Scripture hath little share in it when it comes to Tryal hereby they have made a new foundation of the Church both of faith and practice For it is not sufficient that we believe and practise all that is in the Canonical Scriptures but we must believe and obey the Apocryphal writings and unwritten Traditions as of the same authority with the Bible thus the Council of Trent hath determined as was shewed before This altereth the very constitution of the Church and subjecteth it to men instead of Christ and this is the root of all apostasie 2. Because the Papists pretend their Pope or Church to be above the Scriptures and to put an authentick authority on them and their sense Thus all our faith and obedience is resolved into the determination of men That the Papists pretend the Pope their Council or Church to be above the Scriptures cannot be denied they give the authority and authentickness to the Scriptures 't is from their command that the Bible is received and if they pleased they might cause it to be laid aside it cannot be known they say that the Scriptures are Gods word but that
and so other miracles are for them that believe not who have not received the Gospel but not to them that believe 1 Cor. 14.21 22. who have already been convinced of the truth and fulness of the Scriptures to which God expects they should yield their full assent and obedience Ver. 10 11 12. In them that perish because they received not the love of the truth that they might be saved and for this cause God shall send them strong delusion that they should believe a lie that they all might be damned who believed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness In these words we have the subject of Antichrists delusions those on whom his signs and lying wonders should have effect viz. they that perish though many of the godly may have been entangled by Popish superstitions yet none receive them throughly or give up themselves to them but those that are to perish Rev. 17.11 They that dwell on the earth wondred after the beast even they whose names were not written in the book of life We have also here the reason why God suffereth so many to be delivered to their own destruction viz. because they receive not the love of the truth that they might be saved and this is further amplified 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and for this cause viz. because they love not the truth God shall send them strong delusions 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 delusions that shall be effectual to make them believe a lie who believed not the truth i. e. obeyed not the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness that so they might be damned Gods judgements are suitable to mens sins those that love not the truth he suffereth to lose the truth and they that are willing to receive false doctrines and false worship that they may more quietly practise unrighteousness God suffereth them to have temptations to it and to be prevailed with by those temptations and this is the case of the Papal world because men delight not in the true knowledge of God to fear him and be thankful therefore he gave them up to worship Images and to serve the Creatures more than the Creator as he dealt with the Heathens before them Rom. 1.21.25 Men lov'd not the knowledge of Christ valued not his love and death but loved to boast of their own wills abilities and performances therefore God suffered them to lose the sound doctrine of justification faith an assurance and to make men and Angels their Mediators and to trust in the merits of their own works and sufferings men had no pleasure in holiness but in unrighteousness and licentiousness therefore God suffered them to be deprived of the Scriptures the mean and rule of holiness and to spend their days either in will worship superstition and voluntary severities bodily exercise which profits not 1 Tim. 4.8 or else in all filthiness and profaneness and yet to delude themselves with the vain hopes of pardons indulgencies dispensations penances and venial sins Moreover because men delighted not in spiritual things and heavenly mindedness they were deprived of the true knowledge of heaven and the comfortable hopes of Salvation to be taught to live in endless doubts and fears that can never be satisfied and to count it a favour to go to Purgatory at last there to suffer some thousands of years the torments of hell and to believe that their deliverance from thence depends upon the will of Popes and Priests and is to be bought with money Men were weary of the spiritual worship of God Faith and love prayer and thanks giving hearing the word and receiving the Sacraments with a serious heart and desire to profit by them therefore they are given up to be content to be deprived of Gods word and to hear little but the lying miracles of feigned Saints and humane Traditions and commandments of men also to have their prayers and Sacraments in a language they do not understand and to fool themselves with a belief that the Opus operatuns their bare presence at them and performance of the outward work is sufficient to save them Lastly because men were weary of a pious profitable and learned ministry therefore they are delivered to be enslaved by a generation of men for the most part abominably wicked ignorant and superstitious who deceive the people and are themselves deceived briefly natural conscience will not suffer men to be content without some religion and some hope of a better life and some persons to instruct them in it but their unruly lusts and affections make them love and chuse a religion that they may play and trifle with and such is Popery where men may seem very devout and zealous in external worship and for the Traditions of their fathers and yet live in all wickedness and notwithstanding hope to go to heaven Vse 1. This may lessen our wonder that Popery should so much prevail upon the world and that men should be so ready to return to it after they have received the knowledge of the truth and Popery been discovered to be false and ridiculous to common reason it is the righteous judgement of God to suffer them to be deceived who would be deceived and to suffer them to take up a false and absurd religion who are weary of the true though most excellent and most rational for this reason no means can withdraw men from their superstitious and Idolatrous practices and from their brutish obedience to the Pope and their Priests because God hath given them eyes that cannot see and ears that cannot hear and hearts that cannot perceive and understand till he hath executed all his wrath upon them 2. The best means to be preserved from Popery is to maintain in our selves love to the truth It was want of this that provoked God to give up the world to delusions and still to continue it under the power of them in a great measure He that will do the will of him that sent me he shall know of the doctrine whether it be of God saith our Saviour John 7.17 Scripture and reason will not suffer us to receive Popery as a truth or as any religion but as a meer humane device to keep up the power of the Pope and his adherents and sense also will confute some of their errors as Transubstantiation and many of their miracles but if we love not the truth interest or fear may make us willing to believe a lye and submit to it unfeigned love of the Gospel and a lively sense of spiritual things will prevent this that we shall not be willing to let go the truth and then God will not suffer us to be led into errors If we delight in the knowledge of God he will never suffer us to be bewitcht with Idols that can neither see nor hear nor help If Christ be precious to us the chiefest of ten thousands and altogether lovely God will never suffer us to put our confidence in Creatures as our Mediators or in our own